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Background: Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is the predominant specialised training for healthcare chaplains in several national contexts. CPE is spiritual care education that uses experiential and action-reflection learning methods to train diverse participants. However, CPE is not established for chaplaincy training in England. Currently, chaplaincy education in England lacks standardisation, leading to inequalities in entry into the profession and inconsistent training and career pathways. CPE has the potential to address these issues. We examined changes associated with participating in CPE and participants' perceptions about their learning experience. We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of CPE as a viable chaplaincy education model in healthcare settings in England. Methods: Convergent mixed methods involved pre-post surveys and focus group sessions to examine the experiences and development of seven chaplains, with diverse experience levels and backgrounds, who participated in the pilot CPE unit in NHS England. We integrated thematic analysis and survey results. Results: We identified four overarching themes: Development pathways, Catalysts for development, Advantages of CPE for chaplaincy education, and Experiences with CPE course structure. Participants developed along various pathways: confidence, reflective practice, emotional intelligence, listening and attending skills, diversity in chaplaincy care, and spiritual assessment. Survey results confirmed several themes, indicating gains in chaplaincy capabilities, emotional intelligence, and counselling self-efficacy. Participants emphasised the advantages and effectiveness of the CPE model. Conclusions: Quantitative and qualitative findings converged to provide rich evidence that CPE generated personal and professional development, improving chaplaincy practice. General learning pathways moved from personal development, through the interpersonal learning context, and translated into chaplain competency. Participants endorsed CPE, as a robust and effective training model for chaplaincy in the English context, for those entering the profession and experienced chaplains alike. We conceptualised preliminary models for chaplain development and learning pathways in CPE that need validation and refinement by future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This issue features five original articles, all pertinent to international chaplains and their health and social care colleagues. If there is an overarching theme, it is the role of the chaplain. All the studies answer, in one way or another, the "proverbial" question "What do chaplains do?" by exploring different perspectives, such as spiritual assessment, spiritual intervention, the patient experience of chaplaincy, and the organization of healthcare chaplaincy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This issue of Health and Social Care Chaplaincy presents a wide range of topics relating to: (i) spirituality and spiritual care education, (ii) mental health care, (iii) hearing impairment, and (iv) COVID-19 in residential aged care. A number of book reviews are presented, as well as the annual overview of HSCC. Finally, we welcome a new HSCC Editor-in-Chief and remind readers of the upcoming European Conference on Religion, Spirituality and Health planned for 2024. Further, we provide advance notice of a forthcoming conference currently in planning -- namely the inaugural International Moral Injury and Wellbeing Conference (IMIWC, 2024). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A diverse range of topics are covered in this issue of Health and Social Care Chaplaincy, namely: (i) end of life care, (ii) chaplaincy boundaries, (iii) moral injury, (iv) suicide, and (v) the increasingly important issue of electronic patient records. This issue also includes, once again, a number of book reviews. Finally, we welcome two new Co-Editors to the HSCC team, and note an upcoming European conference planned for 2024 focusing on spiritual care interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chaplain leadership may have played a pivotal role in shaping chaplains' roles in health care amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. We convened an international expert panel to identify expert perception on key chaplain leadership factors. Six leadership themes of professional confidence, engaging and trust-building with executives, decision-making, innovation and creativity, building integrative and trusting connections with colleagues, and promoting cultural competencies emerged as central to determining chaplains' integration, perceived value, and contributions during the pandemic.