Welcome back to Term 3! I am so grateful to share with you some exciting developments in the world of school chaplaincy.
Perhaps most exciting of all, the Department of Education (DoE) has renewed our Standing Offer Arrangement contract to provide chaplaincy services in state schools for the next three years. LCC Chairs can be confident that school chaplaincy can continue virtually unchanged from the last contract.
Sometime in the next 6 months, all schools will need to reapply for their National School Chaplaincy Program funding. The Department will let us know when, but we are expecting that to be announced sometime in the third term. If you are concerned or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact your Field Development Manager (FDM) or Regional Manager (RM).
We will re-contract our chaplains sometime between now and the end of the year, keeping in mind that their current contract ends on December 30th, 2019. Although this conversation has been on the table since last year, now that we have thethe new contract Government’s approval, this will go ahead in Semester 2. Thank you for your patience with this!
In what will be much welcome news for your chaplains, the Department of Education has also approved the 2019 Chaplaincy Expense Rate, which means your chaplains will receive a much-deserved pay increase – effective from 23rd April. SU Chaplaincy carried these additional expenses through term 2 for Band E2 & E3 until the final approval from DoE was received July 1st,2019.
For more information about how these changes will impact your LCC, please refer to the LCC budgeting tool on the My SU site. Alternatively, contact our team at support@suqld.org.au
In Term 3, we will still be running our forum opportunities. LCCs can come together for information and training, so keep an eye out for information from your RM about these events. One LCC chair commented last week, “I so love the effort put into these get togethers and spending time with FDMs”
Another important development is that there is going to be some changes to the LCC Corporate Card Policy. In future, if an LCC has a Corporate Card, they’ll have to code these every month to avoid having the card suspended.
The reason for this is because there have been questions from the Department of Education about how the funds are being spent, so we need to ensure we have records to demonstrate the approver is from the LCC. If the person who used to code transactions has since left, it is up to the LCC to nominate a new person.
Remember SU can provide online training if necessary. If there are any concerns about this, please reach out to us via 3112 6470 or support@suqld.org.au. As an organisation, we have a responsibility to steward our resources well, so please remember this practical development has your best interests in mind as we move forward.
There’s no better way to finish up this edition of Chaplaincy Matters than with a reflection on Conference! It was a spectacular time of encouragement and professional development. We have received so much positive feedback about the speakers and hope that everyone is returning to their schools feeling fresh, invigorated and inspired.
Conference was held in school holidays this year. Many schools were delighted to not lose their chaplain’s smiling face during term time. A success all round!
When I reflect on the amount of people who believe in the effectiveness of chaplaincy, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude. The work we’re doing together here and now is changing the lives of future generations, and I’d like to thank you sincerely for coming along on the journey.
As always, wishing you every success and blessing for the term ahead.
Jenni Dobbin.