Becoming a trauma informed and responsive school.

Education authorities in many jurisdictions now offer training that is focused on trauma informed responses to student needs. Much has now been written and shared about the individual impacts of trauma, and how to work with students and clients in a range of settings. This workshop builds on this understanding, and focusses on how the core understandings of trauma can be extended to address impacts on staff, organisations and systems.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports that 57-75% of Australians will experience a traumatic event in their lifetime, and 62-68% of young people have experienced at least one event by age 17. This would suggest that not only many students are impacted by trauma but also many school staff. It would make sense for schools to become a trauma-informed and responsive workplace to protect the wellbeing of their staff and students, and to enhance learning outcomes.

A trauma-informed organization is one that operates with an understanding of trauma and its negative effects on the organization’s employees and the communities it serves and works to mitigate those effects. A trauma informed organisation understands that many of its employees and the people it serves have histories of trauma that continue to play a role in their lives.3

Building trauma-informed and responsive schools involves changes to school policy, practice, and culture and requires ongoing efforts to ensure that all staff and students—including those affected by trauma—are experiencing social, emotional, and professional/educational success.

This workshop builds a shared understanding of the key features of trauma and how they impact at an organisational level. A key focus will be what schools can do to minimize rather than amplify the trauma impacts for its staff and students. The workshop will cover:

1. Key concepts regarding the phenomenon of trauma including how trauma changes peoples’ behaviours.

2. Organizational processes that help schools to minimize the impact of trauma on staff and students.

3. Practices that help to safeguard staff wellbeing with a focus on emotional fatigue and secondary trauma.

This training will be adapted to each school’s context in consultation with the school’s leadership. To access or discuss this training please contact Dave (Mob: 0433 621 218), Louise (Mob: 0417 262 028) or via email below.