Confidentiality and trust are “perhaps the most critical elements” for chaplains to provide for those who come to them for support, Brisbane Deacon Gary Stone says. Source: The Catholic Leader.
“People normally come to chaplains when their normal chain of command has been unable to address their concerns, or indeed the conduct of the chain of command is part of the problem that they have,” he said.
“Many organisations employ chaplains because they can provide an independent and confidential pressure relief valve for members in their organisation experiencing difficulties.”
He said chaplains helped people to “solve the problems that they are facing by using long established principles of pastoral care, of which privacy and confidentiality are critical”.
Recently, New South Wales Police tried to introduce contract clauses for chaplains to name the officers who receive their services and divulge private information.
After a massive public backlash, the decision was reversed with the clauses remaining only for the identity of police in significant or mass casualty events.
Deacon Stone, who has served in chaplaincy with Australian Federal Police and in the Australian Defence Force, said policies that reduce confidentiality were both “unreasonable and counter-productive”.
“It will result in people with difficulties not reporting or seeking assistance from chaplains who are able to initiate those preventative and early intervention strategies to help both the member and the organisation avert more catastrophic situations subsequently, particularly including suicidal ideation,” he said.
He said his own lived experience demonstrated that the confidentiality of a chaplain’s service provided an alternative path for people.
He said this had saved thousands of lives.
“I have enjoyed the benefits of confidential engagement with a chaplain through my 24 years of service as an infantry officer, which not only empowered me to deal with many challenges myself, but also inspired me to become a chaplain and serve that capacity over the last 32 years,” he said.
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Police officers must be allowed to trust their chaplains, Brisbane deacon says (By Joe Higgins, The Catholic Leader)
