School chaplains undertaking cyberbullying training

School chaplains will start training to combat cyberbullying so they can better identify and support students who may be the victims of online bullying. 

The Morrison Government made the training mandatory for chaplains as part of its $247 million extension to the popular National School Chaplaincy Program. 

Minister for Education Dan Tehan said the free online training would improve the support that chaplains were already providing to students in 3,000 schools. 

“Our children have access to the internet 24-7 through smart phones, tablets and laptops and parents are rightly concerned about cyberbullying, with one in five Australian school children a victim,” Mr Tehan said. 

“The Morrison Government has made mental health a priority and the cyberbullying training for school chaplains will help them better support our students and address bullying. 

“Parents can rest assured that chaplains, as well as teachers and school leaders, have the best tools to deal with cyberbullying.” 

Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts Paul Fletcher said the training would be delivered through the Office of the eSafety Commissioner. 

“The release of the training follows extensive work with the eSafety Commissioner and state and territory education departments to ensure that chaplains receive a quality training package,” Mr Fletcher said. 

Further information on the National School Chaplaincy Program including how chaplains can register for this training is available at www.education.gov.au/national-school-chaplaincy- program.