“I’ve been praying for 25 years that we officers would have a chaplain. Finally, we do!” -- a Corrections Officer. This presentation will share how a Department of Corrections has welcomed volunteer chaplains to support its 4,000 staff. We’ll cover the support chaplains provide to on-duty staff, how to attract volunteer (free) chaplains, and practical mechanics of launching and maintaining this resource to staff, complementing EAP and Peer Support. Few agencies have chaplains dedicated solely to correctional staff. Volunteer chaplains who solely rove the compound to support staff meet a unique need. Our hidden heroes in corrections benefit from a convenient, listening heart that aims to counter career discouragement and burn-out, divorce, depression, addiction, and suicide. Volunteer chaplains offer a confidential ear, prayer if requested, plus easy access to encouraging, relevant, practical and helpful material and other resources – at no cost to the correctional agency.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion, participant will be able to ...understand and promote to their agency leadership the retention value and simplicity of on-site, roving, volunteer chaplains dedicated solely to support corrections staff.
Upon completion, participant will be able to describe how his/her agency can locate likely, prospective volunteer (free) chaplain candidates.
Upon completion, participant will be able to define essential criteria for a volunteer chaplain who will solely support correctional staff.
Upon completion, participant will be able to define, to his/her agency, the specific agency support required to launch and oversee a volunteer chaplaincy for staff
...describe to leadership: best practices for launching/overseeing a volunteer chaplaincy -- and materials supportive of correctional staff, which chaplains can offer, speeding /assisting their effectiveness into a correctional setting.
.jpg "Linda L. Ahrens, BA, MBA, BGEA photo")