Most people in Aotearoa New Zealand support having a dedicated non-religious pastoral support provider working alongside Chaplains in prisons, hospitals, hospices, and universities.
The need for non-religious pastoral support
Aotearoa New Zealand has is an increasing population of people who identify as non-religious. However, there have been no changes in the chaplaincy service since its inception.
Many non-religious people find themselves in various settings struggling to adjust to the reality of their situation and needing support in the form of pastoral care.
Data from Ministry of Health – Te Whatu Ora collected by the ICHC shows that between 1 January 2023 and 30 June 2023, only 3.1% of chaplain encounters with patients and/or their whānau with people who identified as atheist, agnostic, or Humanist, secularist or another non-religious belief. This is despite people who are non-religious making up over 50% of the population.
That’s where we come in…
The Non-Religious Pastoral Support Network is building a network of volunteers to provide pastoral support to the non-religious in hospitals, hospices, prisons, and other institutions.
The NZARH non-religious pastoral support programme
The NZARH is recruiting and training rationalist and humanist volunteers to provide non-religious pastoral care for people in enclosed settings.
We want everyone engaging with and working in public institutions to have equal access to pastoral, emotional, moral, and spiritual support regardless of their religion or beliefs. This support must be provided by likeminded individuals, who can provide the empathy and compassion needed at the most challenging of times. We believe in the necessity of increasing the availability of non-religious pastoral carers to ensure the availability of this provision across all sectors and services.
We’re engaging with hospitals, hospices, and prisons to provide access to our trained volunteers, and developing relationships with other organisations to ensure our service is available to anyone who needs it, similar to the provision that is available for religious people.
If you’re interested in applying for the programme and have the knowledge, skills and experience to provide pastoral support people in your local community we want to hear from you.
What is non-religious pastoral support
Pastoral support includes a range of services provided in a safe and confidential environment and without judgement.
Services might include:
- helping people within an institution to make sense of what is happening to them,
- providing the opportunity to explore beliefs and values, express feelings honestly, discuss unresolved personal issues, and find meaning and purpose in life
- Act as an advocate for someone unable to deal with an issue themselves, making connections with the appropriate resources
- Offering practical and emotional support for the bereaved and those undergoing other major life changes
Becoming a volunteer
Applications will be reviewed by the Non-Religious Pastoral Support working group. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview (online or by phone), and we will ask your referees to provide a short statement as to why they think you would be a good pastoral support volunteer.
If your application is successful, you’ll be invited to attend an induction training programme that covers the fundamentals. Members of the NZARH for over one year will have their course fees and certification costs covered.
The training programme consists of:
- Self-study material and tasks
- An online webinar
- A two-day classroom course held over a weekend
- Further self-study tasks to be completed shortly after the classroom course
Provided that you complete the training programme satisfactorily and completed Police vetting, you will be accredited by the NRPSN as a pastoral support volunteer.
What happens after the training
As well as including you in our directory, we’ll work with you to locate suitable institutions and organisations that would benefit from the support you can provide. This might include formal introductions and providing you with literature and collateral, ID and business cards.
You’ll be invited to the Non-Religious Pastoral Support Network community of practice. Every month volunteers in the network will be able to connect online, share challenges and successes, and work through issues together.