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Contents Soundings:  9

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Chris Levison
Training and Development Officer

The MacDonnell family dominated the Antrim area and in the early 17th century, in an attempt to improve relations with England, Randal MacDonnell, the first Earl of Antrim, granted around 25 lowland Scots families leases in the area. The ‘Plantation’ gave rise to a unique mixture of Scots Irish heritage which continues to this day. A fine example of a plantation stronghold can be seen at Ballygally Castle, built by James Shaw of Greenock in 1625. 
Ballygally Castle 

SACH  Soundings
 No 9 March 2002

Healthcare Chaplaincy Training and Development

Scratchings 
from the TDO

Friday morning 11 January I received a message that two of the speakers at a conference in Ireland had succumbed to a dreaded flu and perhaps I might like to speak to my equivalent who was struggling with the organisation. One two minute conversation with Ivan on the phone and I was charmed into packing my bags for a flight (£12.50 plus airport tax) across the Irish Sea.
Touching down at Belfast International Airport, surprised at having to say which Belfast airport I was coming in to; I was met by Ivan and after an exciting car journey we arrived at the glorious Ballycastle Hotel, Ballygalley. It looked out over the sea towards the Maidens Rocks and lighthouse, which I had sailed close by the previous summer. At night you could see the foam of the breaking waves, caught in the reflection of the street lamps, as they came into the bay. There were also the work lights of several fishing boats on view as they took advantage of the shelter to work on the day’s catch.............. 
On the way, Ivan told me a bit about healthcare chaplaincy training in Northern Ireland. In order to provide training he is given an annual grant of substantial proportions. With this he is able to hire the hotel and invite chaplains to a training conference three times per year, at no cost to the chaplain or to their Trust.
When a chaplain is appointed, whole time or part time, he or she is expected to provide four certificates of training at the end of the first two years. Chaplaincy conferences are very ecumenical with good rapport and plenty blarney. (Oh it’s the banter!) The first other speaker I met was Tim Battle from the Chaplaincies Council in England so it was something of a Training officer’s get together. Asked to speak about my role and how it felt, I recalled an earlier visit to Ireland and in particular to Rathlin Island just off the north east coast on a small yacht. Standing on a cliff and looking across the North Channel towards the outline of Kintyre it seemed quite vast piece of sea. Looking back towards the small harbour where the little boat looked very little, I was reminded of the Breton fisherman’s prayer, “Lord the sea is so big and my boat is so small”. There are a lot of spiritual needs in the Health Service and a lot of training needs, and that was a bit how I felt about the job remit I had been given. 
But small boats can cross large oceans, and once they have done it once the ocean never seems quite so large again. And when you find that there are other boats on the same bit of ocean then it seems less daunting still. There are a lot of people interested in the spiritual care of those in the health service and these people of much variety can surely make a difference. Sometimes the tasks of chaplaincy can be somewhat lonely, but we are certainly not on our own.
It was a fascinating couple of days and good to share with colleagues in another place. I wonder if they do conferences in the Caribbean ?

Chris Levison
Chaplaincy Training and Development Officer
Queens Park House
Victoria Infirmary,
Langside Road
Glasgow G42 9TT

Tel: 0141 201 5392
Fax:  0141 201 5614
Mobile: 07768 023385
E-mail:  chris.levison@chaplains.co.uk

Website:  www.chaplains.co.uk

Iain Telfer (Chaplain at Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and a member of the SACH Executive) represents SACH on the Health Care Chaplaincy Training and Development Group.

Fred has asked me, as SACH representative on the HCT&D Group, to put together a report on its activities.

Initial Role & Funding
As probably most people reading this will know, the Group was set up in conjunction with the Scottish Executive Health Department, in order to appoint a new Healthcare Chaplaincy Training and Development Officer (Chris Levison), with an initial total grant of £177,000 over three years.

Membership
Though not yet complete, membership of the Group will eventually comprise one representative each, from the Church of Scotland, the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Scottish Churches Committee on Healthcare Chaplaincy, the Scottish Inter Faith Council, the Scottish Executive Department of Health, the Scottish Association of Chaplains in Healthcare and the College of Healthcare Chaplains (Scotland Branch), plus two serving professionals from the NHS in Scotland (doctor and nurse), a patient and a training professional (members to serve for not more than three years). John Thomson, the Chaplaincies Administrator acts as Secretary.

Activities
Immediately following Chris’s appointment, priorities were the acquisition of office accommodation and equipment as well as secretarial assistance. The principal role of the Group, through discussion of regular reports from Chris, continues to be that of supervising, appraising and assisting with the managing of his workload and priorities.
In consultation with the Scottish Executive Health Department, additional funding has been secured for the appointment of a Policy Development Co-ordinator, a two year seconded post, with particular responsibility to assist Trusts in their establishing of policies for chaplaincy and religious and spiritual care, following the launching of the guidelines on Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care in the NHSiS, produced last year.
Two related issues are, as a result, now under consideration. Namely, a redefining of Chris’s job title and the remit of the Group itself, to include reference to the provision of spiritual care. At its last meeting in January, however, the Group did reaffirm that the core of Chris’s responsibility was to provide advice as well as to organise training and development.
My impression is that this is a Group that is still finding its way. Events like the November conference for NHS managers, on chaplaincy and spiritual care and, the implications of the new guidelines, have dictated something of a parallel agenda. Consideration of future strategic plans and aims for the Group are now in the pipeline.

Iain Telfer