Session 2F
Tracks
Track 6
| Friday, October 30, 2026 |
| 11:30 AM - 1:05 PM |
| Meeting room P9, Plaza Level |
Overview
Meeting room P9
Speaker
Mrs Nomxolisi Malope-Rwodzi
Research And Evaluation Manager
The Y Queensland (YMCA)
When the Method Is the Message: Co-Design as Trauma-Aware Intervention in Special Assistance Schools
11:30 AM - 12:15 PMAbstract
Aim
This study examined how co-design methodology can be used to strengthen a SAS wellbeing model, keeping student voice at the centre of the process. The presentation will explore how co-design shifted power dynamics in favour of students, deepened their sense of agency and belonging, and produced a more responsive, trauma-aware wellbeing framework. Attendees will leave with practical insights into applying co-design in settings that serve young people.
Background
Y Schools Queensland offers adjusted educational programs for secondary students who thrive in an alternative learning environment. Central to this model is Thrive, a structured wellbeing program designed to build the conditions for meaningful learning. Y students have often experienced trauma, disengagement, and systemic exclusion. This study brought them to the table as genuine partners in reviewing and reshaping Thrive. Over 30 students engaged in a series of co-design workshops, contributing their lived experience to strengthen the model from the inside out. The result: a revised Thrive that highlights the principles, practices, places, people, and connections that underpin students' growth; and the connection between students and staff that enhances it.
Relevance
Trauma-Aware education recognises that healing happens in relationship, and co-design is built on that foundation. By repositioning students as experts on their own experience, co-design aligns naturally with trauma-informed principles: it prioritises safety, trust, and agency.
Contribution
This study documents a rigorous, student-centred co-design process, providing a replicable blueprint for any school wanting to move beyond tokenistic student consultation toward the kind of genuine partnership that trauma-aware practice demands.
This study examined how co-design methodology can be used to strengthen a SAS wellbeing model, keeping student voice at the centre of the process. The presentation will explore how co-design shifted power dynamics in favour of students, deepened their sense of agency and belonging, and produced a more responsive, trauma-aware wellbeing framework. Attendees will leave with practical insights into applying co-design in settings that serve young people.
Background
Y Schools Queensland offers adjusted educational programs for secondary students who thrive in an alternative learning environment. Central to this model is Thrive, a structured wellbeing program designed to build the conditions for meaningful learning. Y students have often experienced trauma, disengagement, and systemic exclusion. This study brought them to the table as genuine partners in reviewing and reshaping Thrive. Over 30 students engaged in a series of co-design workshops, contributing their lived experience to strengthen the model from the inside out. The result: a revised Thrive that highlights the principles, practices, places, people, and connections that underpin students' growth; and the connection between students and staff that enhances it.
Relevance
Trauma-Aware education recognises that healing happens in relationship, and co-design is built on that foundation. By repositioning students as experts on their own experience, co-design aligns naturally with trauma-informed principles: it prioritises safety, trust, and agency.
Contribution
This study documents a rigorous, student-centred co-design process, providing a replicable blueprint for any school wanting to move beyond tokenistic student consultation toward the kind of genuine partnership that trauma-aware practice demands.
Biography
Author 1: With 18 years dedicated to the intersection of research, evaluation, and social change, Nomxolisi Malope-Rwodzi has built a career around one core belief: that communities thrive when systems are built with evidence and equity at their heart. Working across the non-profit sector and academia, she has championed programs that uplift youth, children, and communities — always asking not just what works, but for whom and why. Her approach is as rigorous as it is human, grounded in intentional collaboration and a deep commitment to justice.
Author 2: Dr Jenna Gillett-Swan is a Professor and researcher at Queensland University of Technology. Her work aims to understand and address inequity and threats to wellbeing in students’ and teachers’ educational experiences through participatory rights-based approaches to educational transformation and school improvement. She works with students, educators, school leaders and support staff across primary, secondary and tertiary education contexts. Jenna is also the co-leader for the Health and Wellbeing Research Program within the Centre for Inclusive Education and is Chair of the Australian Council for Student Voice.
Mrs Hannah Hanford
Head of Teaching and Learning
Y Schools Qld
Predictability with Purpose
12:20 PM - 1:05 PMAbstract
Aim:
To demonstrate how consistent, predictable routines across a multi-school setting fosters safety, belonging, and emotional regulation for students impacted by trauma.
Background/Context:
Our school is a Special Assistance School supporting young people who have disengaged from education, many with complex trauma histories. These experiences often manifest as heightened stress responses, difficulties with self-regulation, and barriers to sustained engagement in learning. In response, our multidisciplinary teams developed and implemented a dynamic, multi-layered daily structure, scaled effectively across eleven campuses.
Relevance:
Grounded in trauma-aware research emphasising predictability, relational safety, and clear expectations, these routines embed regulation strategies and transitions that reduce activation of fight-flight, freeze, or fawn responses to promote connection and belonging through stability.
Contribution:
The initiative presents a scalable example of systemic trauma-informed practice, demonstrating how predictable environments can positively influence behaviour, school culture, and learning outcomes.
Description:
The presentation will examine the development, implementation, and observed impact of a layered framework that combines a whole-day “Thrive Wellbeing Flow” with complementary lesson-level routines. Practical examples will demonstrate how these structures guide daily transitions, classroom instruction, and regulation opportunities across the school day. The session will also explore how these routines support staff consistency across campuses while maintaining flexibility to respond to individual student needs.
Engagement:
Participants will engage in an immersive, student point-of-view film that vividly brings trauma-informed practice to life, followed by a dynamic presentation that unpacks, each strategy, critically connects strategies to trauma theory, invites reflective dialogue, and equips educators with actionable insights for their own contexts.
To demonstrate how consistent, predictable routines across a multi-school setting fosters safety, belonging, and emotional regulation for students impacted by trauma.
Background/Context:
Our school is a Special Assistance School supporting young people who have disengaged from education, many with complex trauma histories. These experiences often manifest as heightened stress responses, difficulties with self-regulation, and barriers to sustained engagement in learning. In response, our multidisciplinary teams developed and implemented a dynamic, multi-layered daily structure, scaled effectively across eleven campuses.
Relevance:
Grounded in trauma-aware research emphasising predictability, relational safety, and clear expectations, these routines embed regulation strategies and transitions that reduce activation of fight-flight, freeze, or fawn responses to promote connection and belonging through stability.
Contribution:
The initiative presents a scalable example of systemic trauma-informed practice, demonstrating how predictable environments can positively influence behaviour, school culture, and learning outcomes.
Description:
The presentation will examine the development, implementation, and observed impact of a layered framework that combines a whole-day “Thrive Wellbeing Flow” with complementary lesson-level routines. Practical examples will demonstrate how these structures guide daily transitions, classroom instruction, and regulation opportunities across the school day. The session will also explore how these routines support staff consistency across campuses while maintaining flexibility to respond to individual student needs.
Engagement:
Participants will engage in an immersive, student point-of-view film that vividly brings trauma-informed practice to life, followed by a dynamic presentation that unpacks, each strategy, critically connects strategies to trauma theory, invites reflective dialogue, and equips educators with actionable insights for their own contexts.
Biography
Hannah Hanford is the Head of Teaching and Learning at Y Schools QLD, where she leads the development and implementation of inclusive, trauma-informed teaching practices across eleven campuses. Joining Y Schools QLD marked a pivotal shift in her professional practice, significantly deepening her understanding of complex trauma and reshaping her approach to teaching, learning, and student engagement. With experience across both Australian and UK education systems, Hannah has worked extensively with young people disengaged from schooling and impacted by trauma. She specialises in Universal Design for Learning, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, and the design of predictable, relationally safe learning environments. Hannah is committed to advancing research-informed, trauma-aware education that fosters belonging, connection and improved outcomes.
