Alternative education programs (AEPs) have been increasing rapidly throughout Australia. Until now, there has been no overarching, trauma-informed framework for AEPs and research examining leadership and systemic influences on trauma-informed alternative education is lacking. The research from this doctoral study aimed to fill the gap in current research by examining trauma-informed practice within AEPs across Australia. This study used Levitas’ (2013) Utopian Methodology to reimagine what alternative education could and should look like from a trauma-informed perspective, considering Bronfenbrenner’s (1977) Ecological Systems Theory and Unger’s (2017) Differential Impact Theory, by exploring societal understandings, expert opinions, and alternative education staff perceptions through three stages of data collection. The findings revealed in this presentation will display the 8 key elements recommended for a trauma-informed alternative education framework that may benefit AEPs seeking to implement trauma-informed approaches at a systemic level.

Therapeutic Crisis Intervention in Schools (TCI-S) is a therapeutic framework for working with students to develop systems of care to respond to challenging behaviour in the school setting. TCI is used internationally including across child protection organisations, juvenile detention sectors, mental health settings and more recently within specialist and mainstream school settings to reduce violence and staff burnout in schools. At TCI’s core lies the principle that successful resolution of a child’s crises depends on the environment’s and the staff’s therapeutic, restorative, trauma-informed and developmentally appropriate response. Trauma-Informed Positive Behaviour Support (TIPBS) is also a framework for providing an inclusive and trauma-informed approach to behaviour in schools. This presentation will consider the integration of a Trauma-Informed Positive Behaviour Support (TIPBS) framework with a Therapeutic Crisis response system within a Western Australian CARE school. The outcomes on student behaviour, engagement and staff wellbeing will be shared as a result of this innovative approach in schools.