Spiritual Care

Within the policing environment, our members are often faced with life and death situations and confronted with ethical challenges. When we don’t pay attention to ourselves and our actions, we may end up in circumstances outside our values, that we didn’t plan to be in. It is our spiritual beliefs which guide us in the moral dilemmas we sometimes face and help steer us towards how we want to be.

Spiritual care focuses on the needs and value of the whole person – body, soul and spirit. Our mental health affects all areas of our lives: physically, emotionally, spiritually and relationally. It is important that we acknowledge an authentic spiritual care process and it is worth taking the time to realise that our spiritual beliefs help us make sense of the world, our place in it, and frame how we view the world.

Spirituality is an essential part of all cultures, faiths, and traditions, and is expressed in myriads of ways. Some people’s spirituality is faith-based whereas others express their spirituality through meaningful experiences, relating to nature, or through personal connection and purpose. Our spiritual beliefs underpin both what we believe and give personal definition in how we respond to the things which happen in life. This is why our personal spirituality, faith and prayer are worth considering, as understanding and practicing our beliefs allow us to be authentic, to feel supported and connected, and helps us make sense of the world around us. Many of the faith practices of QPS members encourage people to reflect, pray, ponder, meditate. Almost all encourage us to remember to look up and know the world is bigger than us and that someone/something/God is with us. Take the time to consider what are your spiritual beliefs? How does what I believe affect what I do and how I live?

Police Chaplaincy is an Inter-Faith and Inter-Agency Service

The Queensland Police Chaplaincy Service supplies a professional and localised Inter-Faith and Inter-Agency referral-based chaplaincy service which is completely confidential. We provide support based in multi-faith understanding, to QPS members and families. Chaplains are available for pastoral care, ethical discussions and an option to discuss spirituality and faith.

Chaplains function within the Inclusion and Diversity Policy of the QPS; respecting the religious, cultural, ethnic and sexual orientation of QPS members and their families. Police chaplains are available for those from a religious or a non-religious worldview, to offer a ‘safe place’ to talk and provide support. You don’t need to be a religious person to benefit from the confidential support that a chaplain can provide.

What does a Police Chaplain do? 

Police chaplains regularly visit police establishments offering members the opportunity to confidentially talk about any issues that may be impacting them.

Chaplains offer practical and spiritual support to individuals and their families in times of personal and family crisis, visiting of members and their families who are in hospital or who are off work because of illness or injury.

Police Chaplains can perform religious rites such as officiating at marriages, baptisms, or funerals; as well as conducting services like National Police Remembrance Day, Academy graduations and the dedication of new police facilities.

Is the QPS Chaplaincy service confidential?

Police chaplains provide a ‘safe place’ for all QPS members and their families to address personal and workplace matters. Why? Because, we are not subject to the Police Service Administration Act 1990 which means that the care and support of employees and their families is our only agenda. All conversations with chaplains are strictly confidential and no records are kept. Information will only be passed on to the QPS if the person for whom the chaplain is caring specifically requests that information to be or there is an issue of harm to yourself or to others.

To find your local Police Chaplain – you will need to access the QPS Intranet or call 3364 6563.