Session 2D
Tracks
Track 4
| Friday, October 30, 2026 |
| 11:30 AM - 1:05 PM |
| Meeting room P7, Plaza Level |
Overview
Meeting room P7
Speaker
Dr Geraldine Harris
Exeucutive Director
Pathways to Resilience Trust
Thinking Beyond Adversity: Activating Early Life Opportunities (ELOs) as the Pedagogical Engine of Trauma-Aware Education
11:30 AM - 12:15 PMAbstract
Trauma-informed practice has transformed education and care by increasing awareness of Early Life Adversities (ELAs), largely influenced by the foundational work of Dr Bruce Perry and the Center of the Developing Child (Harvard). This shift has strengthened safeguarding, reframed behaviour, and deepened understanding of developmental vulnerability. However, a persistent gap remains: awareness of adversity does not, in itself, change developmental trajectories.
This presentation introduces Early Life Opportunities (ELOs) as the next evolution in trauma-aware practice. Drawing on applied neuroscience, neuroplasticity, and relational frameworks aligned with Bruce Perry and Stephen Porges and Australian Early Childhood Pedagogical practices (EYLF 2.0), ELOs are positioned as the active ingredients through which development is shaped and reshaped in real time.
Rather than focusing primarily on what has happened to the child, ELOs centre what is happening for the child within moment-to-moment interactions. These include patterned experiences of co-regulation, sensory modulation, relational timing, and repair. Through repeated, attuned engagement, these micro-experiences drive experience-dependent plasticity, enabling adaptive brain-body reorganisation.
The session draws on evidence-based training and mentoring from the Pathways to Resilience Wings to Fly 2.0 (conferred by the AIFS, 2025). Importantly, this approach does not replace trauma-informed care, rather it extends it. It shifts the field from awareness to activation, from deficit-based narratives toward relational, neurobiological opportunity.
Participants will leave with a neuroscience-aligned lens that acknowledges that whilst we cannot change what has happened to a child, we can meet them where they are at and leverage our pedagogical knowledge and practices to enhance children's ELOs.
This presentation introduces Early Life Opportunities (ELOs) as the next evolution in trauma-aware practice. Drawing on applied neuroscience, neuroplasticity, and relational frameworks aligned with Bruce Perry and Stephen Porges and Australian Early Childhood Pedagogical practices (EYLF 2.0), ELOs are positioned as the active ingredients through which development is shaped and reshaped in real time.
Rather than focusing primarily on what has happened to the child, ELOs centre what is happening for the child within moment-to-moment interactions. These include patterned experiences of co-regulation, sensory modulation, relational timing, and repair. Through repeated, attuned engagement, these micro-experiences drive experience-dependent plasticity, enabling adaptive brain-body reorganisation.
The session draws on evidence-based training and mentoring from the Pathways to Resilience Wings to Fly 2.0 (conferred by the AIFS, 2025). Importantly, this approach does not replace trauma-informed care, rather it extends it. It shifts the field from awareness to activation, from deficit-based narratives toward relational, neurobiological opportunity.
Participants will leave with a neuroscience-aligned lens that acknowledges that whilst we cannot change what has happened to a child, we can meet them where they are at and leverage our pedagogical knowledge and practices to enhance children's ELOs.
Biography
Dr Geraldine Harris is the Executive Director of the children's charity, Pathways to Resilience. She is an early childhood researcher, educator and theorist whose work integrates relational neuroscience, pedagogy, the ethics of care and posthuman perspectives. She has authored book chapters, papers and written training programs and was the lead author on the evidence-based practice Wings to Fly 2.0 (conferred by the AIFS in 2025). Her recent work in the Childhood Commons reconceptualised Bronfenbrenner ESTCD into a 'Particle to Planet' approach of ESTCD, building on contemporary understandings of self and co-regulation and generating new understandings of how the spheres of influence create the conditions of Eco-regulation (c). Her work in supporting children's social and emotional wellbeing responds to contemporary conditions in early childhood education by offering an ethical, relational alternatives to behaviouralist and compliance driven models.
Ms Mel James
CEO
Social Care Solutions
From crisis to culture: one early education company's journey to genuine trauma-informed safeguarding
12:20 PM - 1:05 PMAbstract
Aim: To showcase how partnering with child protection and trauma experts, and choosing transparency over silence, can elevate an early education organisation and improve outcomes for children, families, and staff.
Background/Context: When an early education company discovered that a child abuse offender had completed shifts in one of their centres, they faced a choice: manage the fallout quietly, or do something different. They chose trauma-informed, transparent practice.
Relevance: Investing in safeguarding from board to frontline, this organisation embedded trauma awareness into every part of the business- policy, process, practice, and culture. This is what genuine, whole-of-organisation commitment to child safety looks like in practice.
Contribution: This case study demonstrates the profound impact a whole-of-organisation safeguarding approach can have, not just on child safety outcomes, but on staff wellbeing, family trust and business sustainability.
Description: Partnering with a child protection consultancy, the organisation received grounded, expert support through every stage: crisis management, staff support and supervision, professional development, policy reform, and executive leadership training. The consultancy also walked alongside them through the grief and loss of the experience. The results were tangible: improved service delivery, stronger client relationships, reduced staff turnover, and a reputation built on demonstrable safety.
Engagement: Through story sharing, truth-telling, and real practice guidance, this session steps through the timeline of what this organisation did to become truly safe and trauma-aware, and what becomes possible when an organisation has the courage to get it right.
Background/Context: When an early education company discovered that a child abuse offender had completed shifts in one of their centres, they faced a choice: manage the fallout quietly, or do something different. They chose trauma-informed, transparent practice.
Relevance: Investing in safeguarding from board to frontline, this organisation embedded trauma awareness into every part of the business- policy, process, practice, and culture. This is what genuine, whole-of-organisation commitment to child safety looks like in practice.
Contribution: This case study demonstrates the profound impact a whole-of-organisation safeguarding approach can have, not just on child safety outcomes, but on staff wellbeing, family trust and business sustainability.
Description: Partnering with a child protection consultancy, the organisation received grounded, expert support through every stage: crisis management, staff support and supervision, professional development, policy reform, and executive leadership training. The consultancy also walked alongside them through the grief and loss of the experience. The results were tangible: improved service delivery, stronger client relationships, reduced staff turnover, and a reputation built on demonstrable safety.
Engagement: Through story sharing, truth-telling, and real practice guidance, this session steps through the timeline of what this organisation did to become truly safe and trauma-aware, and what becomes possible when an organisation has the courage to get it right.
Biography
Mel James is the founder and CEO of Social Care Solutions, a progressive, purpose-driven Social Enterprise, specialising in safeguarding and child protection consultancy across Australia and Aotearoa. With over 20 years of experience as a social worker, Mel holds degrees in Social Work and Criminology, as well as a Master of Social Work. She founded SCS in 2009 with a clear mission: to improve outcomes for children, young people, and families through high-quality, innovative human services.
Under her leadership, SCS has grown to a team of over 70 dedicated practitioners and has earned a reputation as an industry thought leader and driver of practice innovation. A multi-award-winning CEO, published author, and sessional academic at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Mel was recently named a triple finalist at the Women Changing the World Global Awards 2025 — a testament to her unwavering commitment to creating safer futures for children.
Mrs Rose Tapa
Operations Manager
Platinum Early Learning
Co-presenter
Biography
Rose Tapa is the Operations Manager for Platinum Early Learning, where she warmly leads and supports a network of thriving centres across Brisbane. With 23 years of experience in the early learning sector, Rose brings a deep passion for creating nurturing, inclusive environments where children feel safe, valued, and inspired to learn through play. She holds a Master of Education (Leadership), which underpins her strong, values-driven approach to leadership.
Rose is a dedicated leader who strives for excellence in all aspects of her work, with a clear focus on meeting and exceeding regulatory and compliance requirements. She is committed to fostering genuine, respectful partnerships with children, families, educators, and the wider community, recognising that strong relationships are the foundation for positive outcomes. Through her supportive and collaborative leadership style, Rose empowers teams to deliver high-quality education while maintaining a strong sense of belonging. She is a trusted and inspiring leader who is passionate about creating environments where children thrive, families feel connected, and educators are supported to grow and succeed.
