Working in the classroom with trauma-impacted children and young people is a place that requires empathy, the ability to be flexible, and an understanding that we need to reframe the way we speak about failure. The modern learning environment requires us to consider the opportunities that come with seeing mistakes as an opportunity for personal growth. Coupling this with positive scaffolding allows academic, social and emotional progress to be realised. In his school-based work with adolescents from diverse, complex and often trauma-impacted backgrounds Dr Ian Thomson utilised a design thinking approach that enabled the young people to engage with learning through a student-led human-centred design (HCD) approach.

Students were encouraged to think empathetically through authentic challenges in their lives. The collaboratively iterated solutions that the young people then developed had a significant impact within their own contexts as well as the worlds they were a part of. It was shown that those young people who were impacted by trauma had the propensity to be particularly engaged in this style of learning and prototyping, and the results were as diverse as they were interesting.

The impact of this work was acknowledged by the Order of Australia Council and was the recipient of an ACT Violence Prevention Award.

In this workshop participants will be encouraged to think about how the skills of HCD could be utilised in their own context, as well as challenged to consider how a design thinking approach could be connected to our knowledge of trauma and its impact. Participants will leave with an understanding of HCD and how it could be utilised with young people in their context, as well as a simple toolkit for trying a design thinking approach in a range of settings.

Trauma profoundly impacts children's development across multiple dimensions—brain, body, biology, belief systems, and behaviour. This disruption often leaves children developmentally "stuck", exhibiting behaviours and emotional responses that may be half their chronological age. Consequently, educationally, they lag significantly behind their peers. Such behaviours can perplex and frustrate educators and caregivers, presenting as baffling and seemingly irrational. However, understanding the underlying causes of these behaviours can transform interactions and educational strategies.

This workshop is designed specifically for educators, caregivers, and professionals supporting children in the out-of-home care system. It aims to equip participants with a new language and perspective to interpret these challenging behaviours. By shifting our lens, we can begin to make sense of what these behaviours communicate about unmet needs and past experiences. Participants will learn to recognise the hidden influences of trauma on behaviour and discover effective tools and strategies to help these children reach their full educational potential.

This workshop will also provide practical approaches and interventions that acknowledge and address the unique needs of children impacted by trauma. Through evidence based practices and case studies, participants will gain insights into creating a supportive and responsive educational environment.

Attendees will leave this session empowered with knowledge and tools to become pivotal contributors to the educational and personal success of children in out-of-home care. This is not only an opportunity to transform educational outcomes but also to significantly alter the life trajectories of some of our most vulnerable students.

There is a growing recognition of the challenge of maximising the learning days of students with complex social and emotional needs. Despite several emerging trauma-informed practice approaches, robust research evidence is lacking. The Trauma-informed Behaviour Support (TIBS) is a multi-tiered, trauma-informed practice program that has been disseminated in schools since 2015. The program was co-designed with First Nation communities in the Northern Territory and has since been evaluated in research trials in schools in Queensland. This presentation will introduce the program, the co-design process, and innovative strategies in implementing the program using a hybrid-flexible learning approach in supporting educators. Results from five studies on the mixed methods, multi-tiered evaluation methodology highlight the positive impact of the TIBS program, as well as the complexities of addressing the learning and wellbeing needs of children exposed to trauma. The findings will also shed light on university-school research partnerships that offer practical, feasible and sustainable solutions to the use of trauma-informed practices in the context of funding mandates related to NCCD. Finally, learnings from workings of the diverse, interdisciplinary team will be shared. The presentation will offer teachers practical strategies and free-to-use resources from the program in managing classroom environments, while offering educational leaders an insight into whole-of-school approaches to TIP.