CAMPBELLS Creek Primary will start the new school year on Thursday with uncertainty about the future of its welfare worker.
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The school was granted funding for the national school chaplaincy program, but is unsure if it is allowed to use the grant to pay for its secular welfare officer, Prue Robertson.
Schools could previously use the funding for both religious and secular workers, but the Coalition tightened guidelines last year, specifying welfare officers had to be affiliated with a religious faith.
Principal Narissa Leung said the community was frustrated by the changes.
"It isn't about being anti-religious, it's the fact we have a really qualified person who is doing a great job," she said.
“It’s frustrating for the families because they’d love to just be able to continue on with the service we had last year, particularly for kids who have built up that relationship with her.
“In some sense it’s almost reverse discrimination - because she’s not from a religious background she’s not qualified for this position.”
School chaplaincy is a federal program administered by the state governments.
Ms Leung was informed the school had been accepted into the program in December, but was seeking clarification from the Victorian Department of Education and Training about whether it could use the money to pay for Ms Robertson's services.
She said the school would hire Ms Robertson on a casual basis if the guidelines disqualified her services from the grant.
"It's a critical position we don't want to be without," she said.
"It means we will have to redirect funds from other projects."
Meanwhile, Maldon Primary School and Winter's Flat Primary, which also employ Ms Robertson as a welfare worker, were rejected from the program and might not have a social worker or chaplain this year.
However, a department spokesman said recipients were still being finalised.
A spokesman for Victorian Education Minister James Merlino said the government believed schools should have a choice to employ a secular worker.
"We do not agree with the Abbott Government's decision to cut funding for secular welfare officers and counsellors from the National School Chaplaincy program," he said.
"The Minister for Education has sought advice from the Department about the impact of the Abbott Government's decision to cut funding for secular welfare officers and counsellors.
"The Victorian Government provides a range of support and counselling services to school and students, including psychologists, speech pathologists, student support service officers and social workers."