Welcome back! I am so pleased to have plenty of good news to share with you!
After receiving the great news in last year’s Federal Budget that funding for school chaplaincy would be continued on a permanent basis, we have all been waiting for confirmation from the Queensland Department of Education (DOE) on what that will mean for us here in Queensland.
I am now pleased to share with you that DOE has announced its National School Chaplaincy Program for the 2019-2022 period.
For Queensland schools, the NSCP will provide $18.35 million per annum for the 2019 to 2022 school years. For term 1, it is business as usual.
What does this mean for your chaplaincy service in Term 1? It means your service will continue at 2018 prices. DOE has also announced indexing, which means each school will receive up to $20,280 per annum, and $24,336 per annum in remote areas, to be distributed to those schools who already have funding. This represents a marginal increase from last year.
If a school withdraws from the NSCP, the NSCP cross-sector panel will determine an alternative school to receive the funding.
During 2019, all Queensland schools will be invited to apply for NSCP funding for the 2020 to 2022 school years by submitting an online application. SU Chaplaincy will advise you when that process opens for schools.
At present, DOE have not provided us with a specific date of when the application process will open. But rest assured, you will know as soon as we do.
We have a lot to be grateful for and excited about this year, particularly with grant funding being returned and that the application process for accessing this funding should be simpler than in years past.
DOE has asked all Accredited Employing Authorities (AEAs) to reapply for the 2020-2022 rounds of funding. SU QLD has already done so and we expect to hear back from the Department in March.
Because we are waiting for the Department to approve pricing for 2019, we’ve delayed our annual price increases until the new NSCP Standing Offer Arrangement starts on April 23.
In the coming weeks, we will update you about the Chaplaincy Expense Rate for 2019, which will take effect from Term 2. We will be emailing you about this and speaking with you at Forums.
I’m also happy to share with you that for 2019 pricing we will not be increasing our admin fee, but we are giving a slight pay increase to chaplains to keep them ahead of inflation. This has been a long time coming, and I am sure you will agree that your chaplains have certainly earned it!
In other good news, SU QLD will be expanding its Lapsing Series initiative to help your LCC reconnect with donors who may have stopped giving to your service. In this newsletter, we’ve included a short article to explain that in more detail. But I am particularly excited to see how this can help your chaplaincy service in 2019.
As we prepare for what I am sure will be another great year ahead, I just want to thank you once again for all you do. I am excited to be working with you again this year.
It is so encouraging to see the favour we have with school communities in Queensland. Schools across the state have overwhelmingly jumped at the opportunity to reinstate their chaplaincy service for another year, and I know you have played such a vital part in making that a reality.
Thank you for all the time and effort you sacrifice to keep this great working going for our children and young people.
Have a great 2019!
Jenni Dobbin.