Session 4H
Tracks
Track 8
| Saturday, October 31, 2026 |
| 11:30 AM - 1:05 PM |
| Meeting room P11, Plaza Level |
Overview
Meeting room P11
Speaker
Ms Jasmine Evans
Senior Social Worker
Social Work Incident Support Service - Department for Education
From Crisis to Care – Embedding Trauma-Informed Practice in School Critical Incident Response
11:30 AM - 12:15 PMAbstract
Aim:
To demonstrate how the Social Work Incident Support Service (SWISS) provides a unique and innovative model involving specialist, trauma-informed critical incident responses for South Australian school communities.
Background/Context:
SWISS was established in 2015 by the South Australian Department for Education, as Australia’s first specialist centralised crisis response service in of its kind within education. It arose to address the significant impact of traumatic incidents such as community deaths, harmful sexual behaviour, suicidal and self-harm behaviours, and natural disasters on education communities.
Relevance:
SWISS exemplifies how trauma-aware principles translate into real-world responses that meet the immediate and ongoing needs of students and staff following critical incidents.
Contribution:
SWISS shows how trauma theory becomes active practice, supporting school communities to assess impacts, plan responses, and embed trauma-informed approaches during crises. By modelling calm, containment, and compassion, SWISS clarifies adult roles, strengthens student connections to relational and cultural supports, and supports recovery.
Description:
Utilising trauma-informed principles of safety, relationships, collaboration, cultural humility, and strengths-based practice, SWISS social workers offer a seven day telephone duty line, to provide consultation with staff and on-site support including psychological first aid with students, training and development for staff and collaborative recovery planning with staff and families.
Engagement:
The presentation will engage the audience through applied case examples drawn from recent critical incident responses, illustrating how trauma-informed principles are enacted using the SWISS practice model. These will support reflection on application, with opportunity for questions and discussion at the conclusion to consolidate understanding and invite professional dialogue.
To demonstrate how the Social Work Incident Support Service (SWISS) provides a unique and innovative model involving specialist, trauma-informed critical incident responses for South Australian school communities.
Background/Context:
SWISS was established in 2015 by the South Australian Department for Education, as Australia’s first specialist centralised crisis response service in of its kind within education. It arose to address the significant impact of traumatic incidents such as community deaths, harmful sexual behaviour, suicidal and self-harm behaviours, and natural disasters on education communities.
Relevance:
SWISS exemplifies how trauma-aware principles translate into real-world responses that meet the immediate and ongoing needs of students and staff following critical incidents.
Contribution:
SWISS shows how trauma theory becomes active practice, supporting school communities to assess impacts, plan responses, and embed trauma-informed approaches during crises. By modelling calm, containment, and compassion, SWISS clarifies adult roles, strengthens student connections to relational and cultural supports, and supports recovery.
Description:
Utilising trauma-informed principles of safety, relationships, collaboration, cultural humility, and strengths-based practice, SWISS social workers offer a seven day telephone duty line, to provide consultation with staff and on-site support including psychological first aid with students, training and development for staff and collaborative recovery planning with staff and families.
Engagement:
The presentation will engage the audience through applied case examples drawn from recent critical incident responses, illustrating how trauma-informed principles are enacted using the SWISS practice model. These will support reflection on application, with opportunity for questions and discussion at the conclusion to consolidate understanding and invite professional dialogue.
Biography
Jasmine has been working in the field of social work for 20 years across various government departments including child protection, Courts Administration Authority, health and education. She has been part of the Social Work Incident Support Service since 2019 and loves being part of a dedicated, compassionate, calm and responsive team.
As the senior social worker in the team, Jasmine has a passion for leading trauma informed practice and its application in the education setting.
With more than 20 years experience working across various child protection and education settings, Shane is delighted that his current role allows him to continue to explore his particular interest in how education systems can better understand behaviour through a trauma lens and create environments that enable young people to feel safe, supported, and ready to learn. Shane's practice has always focused on responding to complexity and adversity, and he has a strong commitment throughout his extensive experience to trauma-informed approaches that prioritise safety, connection, and regulation. Shane's work continues to centre on improving outcomes for vulnerable students.
Shane Harris
Social Worker
Department for Education - SWISS
Co-presenter
Biography
Mr Phil Brown
Deputy Principal
Willunga High School
Willunga High School: A journey of improvement through Trauma Informed Practice
12:20 PM - 1:05 PMAbstract
Aim:
To share a five-year whole-school journey of embedding trauma-informed education practices within a secondary school, highlighting the processes that led to improved student outcomes and staff wellbeing.
Background/Context:
Willunga High School implemented trauma-informed practices guided by the Berry Street Education Model and South Australia’s Trauma Aware Schools Initiative. The approach focused on staged implementation, ongoing professional learning, and consistent classroom practices centred on relationship-building, emotional regulation, and predictability across all year levels. A strong emphasis was placed on process, recognising that sustainable change requires time, clarity, and consistency.
Relevance:
This work directly aligns with trauma awareness and trauma-informed practice by creating safe, predictable learning environments that support student regulation, engagement, and wellbeing while strengthening staff capacity and confidence.
Contribution:
The initiative demonstrates measurable impact, including a 75% reduction in behavioural incidents, improved GPA, and increased student engagement and wellbeing. It also highlights improved staff confidence, satisfaction, and collective efficacy, offering a scalable model for sustainable school improvement.
Description:
The presentation outlines a staged implementation model supported by ongoing professional learning, data monitoring, and structured opportunities for reflection. Continuous consultation with staff, students, and the wider community informed iterative refinement and ensured alignment across the school.
Engagement:
Participants will engage through practical examples, data insights, and reflective prompts to support application in their own contexts, alongside opportunities to consider implementation strategies suited to their settings.
Keywords:
staff capacity building; changing culture within complexity;
To share a five-year whole-school journey of embedding trauma-informed education practices within a secondary school, highlighting the processes that led to improved student outcomes and staff wellbeing.
Background/Context:
Willunga High School implemented trauma-informed practices guided by the Berry Street Education Model and South Australia’s Trauma Aware Schools Initiative. The approach focused on staged implementation, ongoing professional learning, and consistent classroom practices centred on relationship-building, emotional regulation, and predictability across all year levels. A strong emphasis was placed on process, recognising that sustainable change requires time, clarity, and consistency.
Relevance:
This work directly aligns with trauma awareness and trauma-informed practice by creating safe, predictable learning environments that support student regulation, engagement, and wellbeing while strengthening staff capacity and confidence.
Contribution:
The initiative demonstrates measurable impact, including a 75% reduction in behavioural incidents, improved GPA, and increased student engagement and wellbeing. It also highlights improved staff confidence, satisfaction, and collective efficacy, offering a scalable model for sustainable school improvement.
Description:
The presentation outlines a staged implementation model supported by ongoing professional learning, data monitoring, and structured opportunities for reflection. Continuous consultation with staff, students, and the wider community informed iterative refinement and ensured alignment across the school.
Engagement:
Participants will engage through practical examples, data insights, and reflective prompts to support application in their own contexts, alongside opportunities to consider implementation strategies suited to their settings.
Keywords:
staff capacity building; changing culture within complexity;
Biography
TBC
Mr Anthony van Ruiten
Principal
Willunga High School, Dept For Education Sa
Co-presenter
Biography
Anthony Van Ruiten is the Principal of Willunga High School (WHS). His leadership experience in a broad range of school settings has reinforced a clear understanding of the impact of wellbeing for learning and the importance of strategically creating school structures, policy and procedures that enhance wellbeing for learning to promote academic excellence. The improvement journey at WHS has been a complex one, but one underpinned by a clear purpose of ensuring students are able to access learning through high quality differentiated teaching practices whilst being supported by effective and comprehensive wellbeing services.
Anthony’s leadership of the strategic implementation of trauma informed practices in all aspects of school life has led Willunga High School to outstanding improvement in school culture and the learning environment, resulting in higher student academic achievement across all year levels, a rapid decline in student behaviour incidents and higher levels of student, self-reported, ‘belongingness to school’.
