What Is a Trauma-Informed School?

A trauma informed school is one that is able to support children who suffer with trauma or mental health problems and whose troubled behaviour acts as a barrier to learning. 

Traumatic stress can arise from a variety of sources: bullying at school, dramatic weather events, the day-to-day exposure to events such as divorce or homelessness. Children and adults can be affected by traumatic stress.

In a trauma-informed school, the adults in the school community are prepared to recognise and respond to those who have been impacted by traumatic stress.   

Situations that can be traumatic:

• Physical or sexual abuse
• Abandonment
• Neglect
• The death or loss of a loved one
• Life-threatening violence in a caregiver
• Witnessing domestic violence
• Automobile accidents or other serious accidents
• Bullying
• Life-threatening health situations and/or painful medical procedures
• Witnessing or experiencing community violence (e.g: robbery, or fighting at home, in the neighbourhood, or at school)
• Witnessing police activity or having a close relative incarcerated
• Life-threatening natural disasters
• Acts or threats of terrorism (viewed in person or on television)
• Living in chronically chaotic environments in which housing and financial resources are not consistently available

Trauma Informed Approach: 

A child's story 

Giving young people a voice

Feeling and being connected 

Everyone feels safe 

Strategies/Interventions that are and can be used:

• EAA (Emotionally Available Adult) 
• Listening to a child's story 
• Exploring through use of sand play 
• Exploring through use of Big Empathy Drawing 
• PACE (Playfulness/Acceptance/Curious/Empathy)
• use of puppets
• access to sensory resources
• emotion coaching