Session 3G
Tracks
Track 7
| Friday, October 30, 2026 |
| 2:00 PM - 3:35 PM |
| Meeting room P10, Plaza Level |
Overview
Meeting room P10
Speaker
Miss Michelle Cole
Principal Partnership Manager - Capability Development
ARACY - Queensland Kids Partnership
From the knowing to the doing: Trauma-aware educator wellbeing as a shared system responsibility
2:00 PM - 2:45 PMAbstract
Aim:
To explore trauma-aware educator wellbeing as a shared, cross-sector responsibility, moving beyond awareness into the conditions, capabilities and common language that help adults support children, young people and families.
Background/Context:
Educators are increasingly responding to complex trauma, stress, neurodevelopmental needs and family adversity. Yet the wellbeing of educators is often treated as separate from trauma-informed practice, rather than foundational to it. Drawing on cross-sector work across education, health, youth justice and community services, this presentation explores how frameworks such as The Nest Wellbeing Framework and The Resilience Scale support a more integrated approach. Together, these tools help shift the focus from individual behaviour to the relational, ecological and systemic conditions that enable children and adults to thrive.
Relevance:
Trauma-informed practice is not the work of one role, sector or specialist. It is about all of us. When adults have a shared language for wellbeing, adversity, resilience and relational practice, they are better able to notice what sits beneath behaviour, respond with curiosity and care; supporting their own regulation and wellbeing.
Contribution:
This session contributes a practical systems lens to educator wellbeing, positioning it as core infrastructure for trauma-aware practice and sustainable workforces.
Description:
Using practice examples from capability-building initiatives, the session will explore how shared frameworks can support reflective practice, collaboration and shared responsibility for child and youth wellbeing.
Engagement:
Participants will be invited to reflect on wellbeing in their own contexts, and to consider how shared language and cross-sector approaches can help move trauma awareness into everyday practice.
To explore trauma-aware educator wellbeing as a shared, cross-sector responsibility, moving beyond awareness into the conditions, capabilities and common language that help adults support children, young people and families.
Background/Context:
Educators are increasingly responding to complex trauma, stress, neurodevelopmental needs and family adversity. Yet the wellbeing of educators is often treated as separate from trauma-informed practice, rather than foundational to it. Drawing on cross-sector work across education, health, youth justice and community services, this presentation explores how frameworks such as The Nest Wellbeing Framework and The Resilience Scale support a more integrated approach. Together, these tools help shift the focus from individual behaviour to the relational, ecological and systemic conditions that enable children and adults to thrive.
Relevance:
Trauma-informed practice is not the work of one role, sector or specialist. It is about all of us. When adults have a shared language for wellbeing, adversity, resilience and relational practice, they are better able to notice what sits beneath behaviour, respond with curiosity and care; supporting their own regulation and wellbeing.
Contribution:
This session contributes a practical systems lens to educator wellbeing, positioning it as core infrastructure for trauma-aware practice and sustainable workforces.
Description:
Using practice examples from capability-building initiatives, the session will explore how shared frameworks can support reflective practice, collaboration and shared responsibility for child and youth wellbeing.
Engagement:
Participants will be invited to reflect on wellbeing in their own contexts, and to consider how shared language and cross-sector approaches can help move trauma awareness into everyday practice.
Biography
Michelle Cole is a leader in knowledge translation, education, and wellbeing. Passionate about creating safe, inspiring environments, she drives systemic change through collaboration and innovation. Over the past two decades working in the child and youth sector, she has led impactful initiatives in child safety, education, and workforce development. As a teacher and deputy principal for 17 years, Michelle grounds system-level change and advocacy in practitioner experience and understanding.
Mrs Kristy Holzner
Vice President
Trauma Awareness Network Australia
Grassroots trauma awareness in regional Tasmania: Community capacity‑building through Trauma Awareness Network Australia and TANATalks
2:50 PM - 3:35 PMAbstract
Communities across North‑West Tasmania experience compounded social and economic pressures, including some of the nation’s highest levels of socioeconomic disadvantage, as reflected in multiple SEIFA indicators which place many regional areas in the lowest national bands. These challenges intersect with persistent educational inequities: Tasmania continues to record the lowest school retention and Year 12 attainment rates in Australia, well below national averages, with attendance rates and learning outcomes consistently trailing other states. Alongside this, substance use remains a significant concern, with illicit drug use occurring at higher rates than the national average.
In this context, the Trauma Awareness Network Australia (TANA), grassroots, volunteer-powered, not-for-profit group in North-West Tasmania, works to strengthen trauma literacy, resilience, and community wellbeing. Through its flagship community education model, TANATalks, TANA provides accessible, science-informed trauma knowledge to residents across education, youth work, health, social services, and justice-adjacent community networks.
This presentation explores how TANA mobilises ordinary community members, to engage with the science of trauma, stress responses, and building resilience offering a cross-sector, community-first strategy for disrupting cycles of adversity. By emphasising relational connection and shared understanding, TANATalks builds local confidence, reduces shame associated with trauma responses, and expands the capacity of communities to nurture resilience.
Positioned at the intersection of health, youth, social work, education, and community development, this grassroots model demonstrates how small regional communities can lead transformative trauma-aware practices. The session will highlight practical examples, local insights, and implications for other rural areas seeking to build trauma-aware capacity from the ground up.
In this context, the Trauma Awareness Network Australia (TANA), grassroots, volunteer-powered, not-for-profit group in North-West Tasmania, works to strengthen trauma literacy, resilience, and community wellbeing. Through its flagship community education model, TANATalks, TANA provides accessible, science-informed trauma knowledge to residents across education, youth work, health, social services, and justice-adjacent community networks.
This presentation explores how TANA mobilises ordinary community members, to engage with the science of trauma, stress responses, and building resilience offering a cross-sector, community-first strategy for disrupting cycles of adversity. By emphasising relational connection and shared understanding, TANATalks builds local confidence, reduces shame associated with trauma responses, and expands the capacity of communities to nurture resilience.
Positioned at the intersection of health, youth, social work, education, and community development, this grassroots model demonstrates how small regional communities can lead transformative trauma-aware practices. The session will highlight practical examples, local insights, and implications for other rural areas seeking to build trauma-aware capacity from the ground up.
Biography
Kristy-Lee Holzner is a researcher and practitioner specialising in trauma‑aware education and teacher wellbeing. With extensive experience across educational settings, she brings a strengths‑based, inclusive lens to supporting educators, leaders, and school communities. As an Inclusive Practice Coach, Kristy-Lee works alongside schools to embed trauma‑informed, neuro‑affirming, and inclusive practices that improve outcomes for both students and staff. Her research interests focus on the intersection of trauma, wellbeing, and sustainable teaching practice, with a strong emphasis on systems change and educator voice. Kristy-Lee is the Vice President of Trauma Awareness Network Australia, where she advocates nationally for trauma‑aware approaches grounded in evidence, compassion, and lived experience. She is known for translating complex research into practical, accessible strategies and for her commitment to building emotionally safe, inclusive learning environments that support long‑term wellbeing and belonging.
Mr Michael Lizotte
President
TANA
Co-presenter
Biography
