What We Do
What is Pastoral Care?
Pastoral care (sometimes called ‘spiritual care’) is described as a ministry of support to any person in their pain, loss and anxiety and their triumphs, joys, and victories. The theory and philosophy of pastoral care is not dependent on any one set of beliefs or traditions, and people providing pastoral care are trained to relate gently and skillfully with the inner world of individuals from all walks of life, and the elements that go to make up that person’s sense of self, their inner resources, resilience and capacity to cope.
People who provide pastoral care are not counsellors or therapists. They operate under a positive motivation that has no strings attached.
In providing pastoral care, Prison Chaplains are other-centred, tolerant, accepting, non-prejudiced and non-judgmental. They provide support to prisoners irrespective of their condition, religious background, faith belief, social position, strengths, weaknesses, ethnicity, or crimes. They are respectful of a person’s theological views or lack thereof and do not seek to proselytise others.
They accept the common elements of other faith traditions and seek to facilitate a person’s support in a manner consistent with that person’s faith journey.
Our Core Values for Prison Chaplaincy
INTEGRITY
We always seek to be people of integrity, exemplifying honesty in our dealings with others, meaning what we say and saying what we mean, avoiding self-aggrandisement and not disclosing our personal details to those we serve.
FORGIVENESS
We practice forgiveness of others and ourselves because Christ died for the salvation of all. This value is lived out in conversing with prisoners to provide understanding and opportunities for the healing of past hurts, identifying the consequences of wrongful actions which may continue to inflict feelings of guilt, and providing encouragement and hope for the future.
PROFESSIONALISM
We are held to high standards of Christian behaviour and work ethic. We work within defined professional and personal boundaries as established by the SCB and QCS.
CHRIST-LIKENESS
We offer pastoral care in the likeness of Christ. Our ministry is exemplified by the teachings and example of Jesus. We prayerfully seek to be empowered by God to minister with unconditional love and without judgment.
CONFIDENTIALITY
We are bound by confidentiality in all aspects of our ministry, and we do not disclose any information shared by a prisoner unless we are legally required to do so.
Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.