Becoming a Healthcare Chaplain

The accreditation process

Healthcare chaplaincy posts generally require a minimum of a undergraduate degree in theology (or a related subject) and experience in pastoral care.

Posts may be open to anyone, or restricted to a particular religion or belief community because of a Genuine Occupational Requirement. Most person specifications require the candidate to be in good standing with their religious or belief community and employers will seek endorsement to this effect as part of employment checks. Free Church chaplains may be lay or ordained. The decision to recommend that a candidate from a Free Church background is in ‘good standing’ lies with the individual’s denomination. Each denomination has its own process and potential employers can check this through the Secretary for Healthcare Chaplaincy. The process, in diagrammatic form, can be seen here.

If you are interested in working as a health or social care chaplain, and want to find out more, please contact the Secretary for Healthcare Chaplaincy who will be happy to explore this with you: Mark Newitt (mark.newitt@freechurches.org.uk)

The FCG maintains a directory of health and social care chaplains who have been endorsed as being in ‘good standing’ by their denomination/organisation and provides support and training for them in their role. Further details and a link to sign up to the directory are here.