So, you’ve decided to come along to the Trauma-Aware Education Conference but this is all very new to you – what is Trauma-Aware Education all about? I invite you to join me for this introductory session.
Children and adolescents who have suffered complex trauma are more likely to have difficulties concentrating in class, be withdrawn or disruptive to others.

Complex trauma impacts the physical, emotional and social development of children and adolescents and they often have difficulties in their relationships with others. To minimise harm and provide support, teachers and school leaders need to respond with trauma-informed practices in their classrooms or schools.
Developments in neuroscience over the last twenty years have provided significant understandings to support why trauma-informed practice is important and necessary. Childhood trauma impacts the developing brain and causes it to be in constant states of fear, wiring the brain to be prepared to respond to threat. We also know that early trauma impacts on the development of healthy patterns of attachment with caregivers, resulting in disorganisation in relational concepts such as empathy, social connectedness and the ability to form relationships.
Many of the challenging behaviours seen in schools are a result of maladaptive behaviours forming in response to early childhood trauma. As these behaviours have been formed as a defence mechanism, they are largely automated, governed by the brain stem to keep us safe. We know that schools and educational facilities are in a perfect position to implement trauma-aware early intervention strategies to reduce the negative long-term impacts of trauma and associated public health costs.
Complex trauma impacts on the three key areas of perceptions of safety, relationships, and emotional regulation. A trauma-aware approach purposefully embeds practices to support young people in these three areas.

Participants will walk away with a new-found understanding of how to consider your students through a neuroscience lens.

Understand how Hester Hornbrook Academy is changing the way that education can be delivered. Traditional school settings are struggling to cope with students who become disconnected. At Hester Hornbrook re engaging these young people is what we do best.

This presentation will unpack our Healing Oriented approach to education or HOPE, which is built upon a foundation of safety, trust, agency and supportive relationships. HOPE takes a holistic view of a young person’s needs and development, recognising the interconnectedness of all parts of the person’s life and hence the need for a multi-disciplinary and coordinated approach.

When Alyssa commenced her position as Head of Research and Innovation at Hester Hornbook Academy, she conducted a mini ethnographic research piece to help better understand the HOPE (Healing Orientated Approach to Education).

This presentation will involve sharing the findings of Ayssa’s research, while hearing from the Principal on her vision for educational settings which are focused on Healing and ensuring that school is “done differently” so that each young person can achieve positive pathways for the future.

HOPE is an opportunity to reimagine education and the critical relationship between learning and wellbeing for young people.
Gain and understand of what HOPE is and how it can be implemented into every school setting.

South Australian Learning and Behaviour units (LBu) supports vulnerable students with the provision of 2 services: Learning Centres and Better Behaviour Centres. Learning Centres offer restoratively focussed educational programs to excluded students, and Better Behaviour Centres offer an early intervention transition program for students at risk. LBu systems, processes, structures, and practices have been reviewed through a trauma lens creating trauma responsive conditions for student learning that builds relational safety and repair, nurtures the learning strengths of young people, and builds scaffolded restorative processes for students, supporting their transition back to mainstream educational settings. Our focus on centralising ‘safety’ for young people has presented some challenges, particularly at student transition points. Student relational mapping activities have revealed ‘hidden transition risks’ by exposing relational strengths, stressors, and relational ruptures within their school network, prompting the need to actively engage students/stakeholders in differentiated restorative processes. Our ‘trauma sensitive’ responses have impacted our thinking, problem solving, and the way student successes are recognised. In addition, relational mapping activities have deeply impacted students/stakeholders as showcased in students’ ‘letters of hope’. These letters have reshaped a new a narrative of ‘self’ for the student and of those working with them, based on optimism and aspiration.

Transformative system changes within LBu reflect deep understandings of neurobiology, a result of heavy investment in staff professional development with Australian Childhood Foundation SMART program, Berry Street Education Model and leadership undertaking graduate certificate level training in trauma-informed education. We have restructured Professional Learning Communities targeting literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional learning outcomes of aboriginal students, students with disability, trauma-impacted students. Coaching has driven pedagogical change, supporting staff to be discriminatory in their practices in the pursuit of achieving healing outcomes for students. Staff are required to look ‘inward,’ and to apply neurobiological understandings to ‘self’, supporting their ability to engage therapeutically with students and in providing ‘deep safety’ within the sequenced process of connection. This has unmasked staff vulnerability, addressed by staff accessing a clinician and psychoeducation sessions.

LBu ‘trauma-sensitive’ system change has impacted universal, targeted, and individualised interventions for students. New norms relating to the language we use, reporting structures, curriculum teachings have all been transformed. The biggest impact has been ‘our way of being’ - what it means to interact with our young people and what is takes to ensure we are intentionally preparing for relational safety and in building learning environments that support relational safety and repair.