aim: to present a practical, secondary school-based professional learning framework that supports trauma-aware practice through a focus on student engagement, relationships, and staff sustainability.

background/context: in secondary settings, student disengagement is often understood and responded to as behaviour, rather than as a reflection of underlying needs related to regulation, connection, and context. while trauma-aware approaches are increasingly recognised, there remains a challenge in translating these approaches into consistent and sustainable everyday classroom practice. this project draws on leadership experience and postgraduate research to develop a trauma-aware professional learning framework implemented in a secondary school, with design principles adaptable across diverse educational contexts.

relevance: this work responds to the need for trauma-aware approaches that are developmentally appropriate and sustainable for educators. while grounded in a secondary context, the framework reflects challenges common across settings, including the need for consistent, relational approaches to behaviour and engagement.

contribution: the framework provides a staged model that supports shared language, consistent responses to behaviour, and reflective practice. developed in a secondary school, it offers a transferable structure that can be adapted across settings, demonstrating how trauma-aware principles can be embedded within existing systems without adding to workload.

description: the framework is delivered through a series of modules across the school year, supported by baseline and follow-up staff data. it integrates neuroscience, restorative practice, and relational pedagogy, with a focus on practical application.

engagement: the session will include guided reflection, discussion prompts, and opportunities for participants to apply ideas to their own contexts.

Aim: The Compassion Fatigue Resilience model (Ludick & Figley, 2017) outlines a stressor-strain-resilience process in the face of compassion-fatigue related stressors. Elements of the model will be unpacked to aid in conceptualising how schools/organisations may design work and enhance workplace structures to promote protective factors and best support the wellbeing of their staff and leaders.

Background/Context: The Compassion Fatigue Resilience model is an established (research and practice) secondary traumatic stress/ compassion fatigue model with numerous iterations, and is a key component underpinning author’s current PhD study (Australian university) - Staff wellbeing and engagement in schools: What role do trauma-aware psychosocial workplace conditions and personal characteristics play?

Relevance: Exploring the model provides a worthwhile professional learning opportunity for attendees to learn more about the approach of one of the original scholars in the secondary traumatic stress /compassion fatigue field (Charles Figley); and how its elements are now applied across a broad range of workplace sectors including school education.

Contribution: Four protective factors (self-care, compassion satisfaction, detachment/ decentering, social support) will be explored, from the evidence base and in practice, that are immediately applicable in trauma-aware/ trauma-informed schools and organisations; alongside the other elements in the model.

Description: Author’s published peer-reviewed research applying the model in Australian schools will be referred to during the presentation.

Engagement: Research, practical examples, and recommendations from a range of school contexts will be shared. Worksheet (hard-copy) provided to enable notes about protective factors to be considered for own professional context. Q&A invited throughout presentation.

Aim:
To develop a clear understanding of supervision as a professional reflective practice, distinct from EAP, mentoring, therapy, or informal conversation. This workshop supports educators and leaders to recognise supervision as a trauma-aware structure that strengthens practice, reduces isolation, and provides a purposeful space for the emotional and cognitive load of school-based work.

Background/Context:
While supervision is well established in counselling and allied professions, its application in education remains limited despite increasing recognition of educator stress, secondary trauma, and sustained emotional load. Educators frequently carry complex student-related experiences beyond the classroom without structured opportunities for reflection. This workshop challenges common assumptions such as “I just need to toughen up” and “informal conversations are enough,” repositioning supervision as a professional and sustainable support.

Relevance:
This workshop directly links trauma-aware practice with educator wellbeing by addressing where educators process ongoing emotional and cognitive demands, supporting more regulated, reflective responses in practice.

Contribution:
The workshop introduces supervision as a scalable reflective structure that can strengthen staff wellbeing, professional judgement, and organisational capacity within trauma-aware school environments.

Description:
Participants will engage in a structured, “micro-supervision” experience using a professionally relevant moment from their practice, supported by clear prompts and boundaries for safety.

Engagement:
Participants will actively experience structured reflection, enabling them to recognise its impact and leave with one practical next step for implementation.

Aim: The Dalwood Spilstead Family Intervention and Support Service (DSS Service) provides a trauma-informed tertiary service for families facing inter-generational trauma and child protection issues with young children.
Background/Context: The Spilstead Model (SM) has been designed to maximize the benefits of key Evidence-Based practice within a client centred, trauma-informed approach with services for both parents and children provided from the one team.
Relevance: Consistent with international research children referred commonly present with delays in both developmental and emotional regulation (60% - 85%). A therapeutic preschool program is therefore offered focusing on “bottom-up” intervention targeting regulation, relationship and individualised education. Children between 12 months - 6 years attend two days per week in small groups with allied health support.
Contribution: A 10-year longitudinal study of families from the DSS Service, evaluating the effectiveness of SM, showed sustained improvement in parent-child relationships, child-wellbeing and reduction of parent stress (large effect size between 0.77–1.67 (p<0.01)). Further data from the NSW, Child Protection Service indicated that the SM had a 96% engagement and participation rate with families referred from the child protection service, 33% higher than the 63% state-wide average.
Description: The SM, founded on attachment theory and the Neuro-sequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT) case planning framework, is underpinned by team cohesion providing consistent, co-regulating relational experiences. Circle of Security (CoS), Marte Meo and Highscope approaches further support the model and are integrated into the psychoeducation and family counselling services for parents.
Engagement: Incorporating mixed media (oral, slideshow, and video) presentation.