“The ultimate benefit of trauma informed education is that you give the gift of control to your students and to your staff around negative behaviours.”

Petrina Walker, Principal, Marayong South Public School

What is trauma-informed care?

Trauma informed care is a framework within a school or other organisation that recognises and responds to the signs and symptoms of trauma in children, staff and others who work or study there. A trauma-informed environment actively seeks to resist re-traumatisation of these individuals and helps provide potential pathways for recovery.

Why being trauma-informed is important

Trauma is often a result of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) relating to abuse, neglect, family dysfunction or other significant trauma. In Australia, 1 in 5 children have been exposed to three or more ACEs; with such high rates of trauma and the resulting toxic stress, all educators and child-related professionals WILL at some point work with children who’ve been impacted by ACEs. Having the knowledge to recognise that life challenges may be contributing to a child’s behaviour and being provided with the tools to manage traumatic stress empowers professionals in their role. Importantly, it is an important first step in becoming a compassionate and supportive community.

KidsXpress offers a multitude of trauma informed education services that are tailored to address the specific issues and priorities of each participating organisation. They equip participants with practical, ready-to-use strategies in a way that brings about real change.