Background/Context: Early childhood educators working with children affected by complex and developmental trauma face significant wellbeing challenges, yet lack access to the structured reflective practice support available to allied health practitioners doing equivalent work.
Aim: This poster presents the conceptual framework underpinning the CARRM (Connection and Regulation using Rhythmic play and Music) program — a trauma-informed, music based professional learning program for early childhood educators .
Relevance: Whilst being conceptually grounded in Dr. Bruce Perry’s Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics and Maggie Kline’s ‘8 Essentials of Healthy Attachment’, it also proposes the integration of Educational Talking Circles (ETCs)- not only as a tool for reflexive and reflective practice to support educator wellbeing, but as a way to embed cultural responsiveness into the professional learning process. Through the sharing of stories and lived experiences, it allows hierarchical systems of knowledge sharing to be flattened, non-dominant perspectives to be platformed and learning to be co-collaborative.
Contribution: Set within the context of the Australian Early Years Learning Framework V2.0’s shift from cultural competence to cultural responsiveness, this work addresses three intersecting gaps in the literature: a conceptualizing framework for a low resource reflective practice model to support ECEs in the child trauma space; the underexplored role of arts based approaches for supporting children with complex trauma histories ; and the nascent evidence base for culturally responsive approaches in early childhood pedagogical and professional learning research.
Keywords: professional learning, talking circles, arts based approaches, cultural responsiveness, reflective practice.

Aim: To share the practice and insights of Responsive Relationships, a South Australian initiative designed to strengthen educators use of relational skills, enriching educator and child experiences in educational environments.

Context: Responsive Relationships is based on evidence, frameworks, and practice needs that highlight the vital role of secure, relational interactions between children and educators. These interactions directly support child development, trauma informed practice, belonging, curiosity, cultural inclusion, and educator wellbeing—essential for thriving educational outcomes. Beginning in children’s centres, the initiative has since been thoughtfully adapted for preschool site implementation.

Relevance: The practice of Responsive Relationships prioritises unconditional positive regard, child-centred understanding of trauma and early childhood development. By fostering a consistent, individual, and team-based approach, it promotes a supportive learning environment for every educator and child, encouraging sustained inclusivity and wellbeing.

Description: A statewide pilot program that delivers targeted professional learning in both metropolitan and regional preschools, educators learn to use ten relational skills through a series of workshops reflective and intentional practice. The model embeds collaboration between allied health, educators, leadership, Aboriginal and multicultural services, supporting diverse perspectives and shared learning. Impact, sustainability, and practice quality is managed through evaluation and a governance group.

Contribution: Responsive Relationships transforms theory into practical, accessible skills that strengthen trauma responsive and relational practice in education.

Engagement: This presentation will provide insights, examples and reflections on a professional practice and learning model, inspiring participants to embed trauma-aware, relational approaches in their settings.

Aim
This session aims to explore how primary school teachers implement trauma-informed practices (TIP) in classrooms and share practical strategies to enhance trauma-informed pedagogy at the classroom level.

Background/Context
While TIP frameworks have increased at the school and system levels, less is understood about classroom-level teacher implementation. Recent research with 226 Australian primary teachers found that half reported using TIPs, mainly for self-regulation, psychological and classroom safety, and relationship building, with less focus on cognitive and pedagogical strategies. The use of TIP was predicted by the classroom teachers’ trauma literacy, trauma-related professional learning and the experience of teaching students with a trauma history.

Relevance
Understanding teachers’ use of TIP is critical for advancing trauma literacy, improving inclusive classroom environments through the implementation of TIP, and ensuring equitable educational outcomes for trauma-affected students.

Contribution
The findings of this recent peer-reviewed research contribute by identifying and synthesising actionable classroom practices, highlighting areas for growth in current teacher pedagogy, and fostering teacher self-efficacy to embed trauma-informed strategies effectively.

Description
Participants will engage with research findings that explored teacher-identified TIP strategies, discuss examples of teacher practice, and participate in collaborative activities to contextualise trauma-informed responses. Emphasis will be on balancing individual support with whole-class pedagogies to promote safety, learning, and connection.

Engagement
Attendees will be actively involved in reflecting on their own practice, contextualising research findings, sharing their experiences, and planning actionable trauma-informed practices and pedagogies to implement through interactive activities, small-group discussions, and the exploration of teacher-provided examples.

Goodstart Early Learning is Australia’s largest early learning provider and a not–for–profit social enterprise. Our inclusion goal is to ensure that those children at greater risk of falling behind, such as children that have experienced trauma have an opportunity to learn and grow through early learning.
We know high quality early learning settings can offer an opportunity to create a safe place for a traumatised child’s development to progress. To meet the needs of their most vulnerable children and improve early learning outcomes, Goodstart developed trauma informed policies, procedures, and practices to be implemented nationally. Informed by trauma science, attachment and neurodevelopmental research, the presentation focuses on the alignment between trauma informed practice and the EYLF, using practical scenarios to illustrate how this alignment is enacted in daily pedagogy.
This presentation will introduce a practice-based guide that positions trauma informed practice as core early childhood pedagogy, explicitly aligned with the Early years learning framework V2.0 (EYLF). Participants will learn how trauma informed principles can be enacted through everyday teaching practices. Each EYLF outcome is explicitly mapped against trauma informed principles, demonstrating how practices including relational rituals, environmental structuring, co-regulation and opportunities for agency support children identify belonging, wellbeing, confident learning and communication.