Schools chaplaincy provider bans cohabitation and ‘sexually intrusive’ behaviour in staff’s private life

Counsellor and former chaplain Caragh Larsen says she faced ‘huge pressure’ to join a church group when employed as a chaplain. Photograph: Sia Duff/The Guardian

Australia’s second biggest schools chaplaincy provider imposes a code that discriminates against staff based on relationship status and sexual conduct, a whistleblower has alleged.

Caragh Larsen, a former Schools Ministry Group chaplain at two Adelaide public primary schools, said the code banning “cohabitation” and “sexually intrusive” behaviour left unmarried and LGBTQ+ staff vulnerable.