Towards a trauma-informed Australian early childhood education and care system (ECEC)

Discussion paper exploring barriers and enablers of trauma-informed organisations and systems and implications for early childhood education and care in Australia today.

Trauma-informed approaches aim to provide a safe environment for clients/service users that is sensitive to the impacts of trauma and avoids re-traumatisation. Early childhood education and care is uniquely placed to support children and families who have experienced trauma, and therefore, an important setting – and system – for implementing a trauma-informed approach. 

Our discussion paper has been developed in parallel to work being led by the Alannah & Madeline Foundation on a national place-based trial of the Trauma-Informed Organisation approach which seeks to embed and sustain trauma-informed practices in early childhood education and care organisations.  

It is intended to support thinking about how to build towards a trauma-informed Australian early childhood education and care system and more broadly, to progress trauma-informed and healing-centred approaches across all social service systems that are integral to children’s development in Australia. 

The paper explores the barriers and enablers of trauma-informed organisations and systems, mapping these against the six conditions of systems change – ie. policies, practices, resource flows, relationships and connections, power dynamics and mental models.  

It also highlights challenges and opportunities for realising a trauma-informed early childhood education and care system given current reforms impacting the early years in Australia.  

Finally, it sets out a proposed approach for progressing the systems-level work that is needed alongside the national place-based pilot to progress this vision.