The National School Chaplain Association (405-831-3299), the governing institute for school chaplains in the United States, has announced a new chaplain verification process.
The purpose of the National School Chaplain Association’s recently announced chaplain verification process is to assure public and private schools across America that, when they hire a school chaplain, they are getting a highly qualified and skilled individual who is capable of providing spiritual and pastoral care of the highest order. The National School Chaplain Association appreciates that almost all teaching and school staff are now managed by nationwide criteria and accrediting bodies, and they have now adopted the same principles into their own organization.
More information is available at https://nationalschoolchaplainassociation.org/
The National School Chaplain Association also appreciates that not all secular schools have historically held the church and ministerial credentials of school chaplains in the same esteem as school psychologists and counselors. This is why the organization has mandated that all their verified school chaplains have studied child and adolescent welfare to some degree and have the tools needed to provide spiritual and mental health support to student bodies.
In order to become a verified school chaplain with the National School Chaplain Association, an individual must have taken their intensive or year-long training program, and should ideally come from a classroom teaching or ministerial background. In most cases, a university degree is also a prerequisite.
More information on the National School Chaplain Association’s accreditation and verification procedures can be accessed at https://nationalschoolchaplainassociation.org/chaplains/
Additionally, all verified school chaplains have been trained in school safety-enhancing courses, including active shooter training.
The National School Chaplain Association currently serves over 25,000 elementary, middle, and high schools across the United States. They believe that the spiritual attributes of their school chaplains provide an indispensable addition to any school community and can help students of all ages to thrive.
A spokesperson for the organization said, “The National School Chaplain Association was established to promote school chaplains as a legitimate and necessary member of a school staff through national standards for school chaplains. Our trained and licensed chaplains provide counsel, education, advocacy, life improvement skills, and recovery training, providing a bridge between the secular and spiritual environments of community life throughout the United States.”
Interested readers can find out more at https://nationalschoolchaplainassociation.org/schools/