This article is written collaboratively by: Yihan Sun, PhD Candidate, Monash University (MU); Dr Claire Blewitt, Research Fellow, MU; Mitchell Bowden, Engagement Lead, Policy and Projects, MU; A/Prof Emily Berger, MU; Sophie FitzDowse, Practice Leader, Alannah & Madeline Foundation; A/Prof Emma Barrett, University of Sydney; Catherine Orr, Play Therapist, Children's Therapy Service - bestchance; Erin Nagy, Early Years Planning and Partnerships Program Officer, Hobsonsbay City Council; Jess Stewart, Teacher Partner, G8 Education; Ellen Casey, Head of Program and Pedagogy, Swinburn Children's Centre; Emma Boag, Pedagogical Leader, Community Kinder Plus; Julia Cornelius, Senior Advisor - Early Years, Our Place; Nicole Thompson, Director, ECTARC; Nicole Smith, Director, Gowrie NSW; Prof Helen Skouteris, MU.

Childhood trauma and the early childhood sectors

As in many developed countries, childhood trauma is alarmingly prevalent in Australia, with the Australian Child Maltreatment Study (2023) revealing that 39.4% of Australian children have experienced more than one type of maltreatment. In early childhood settings, knowingly or unknowingly, educators are supporting trauma-impacted children and their families, but often without the necessary training or support.

“There is a lot, it is not just one. It is often where we find pockets of vulnerability. It is not just one family, it is multiple families, multiple children.” – Educator, Victoria

Why this matters?

For educators

  • Educators are often underprepared and lack access to professional support tailored to trauma-informed practice. This can leave them struggling to meet the complex needs of children exposed to trauma, leading to burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and emotional exhaustion. As a result, many consider leaving the profession - or remain, but with diminished capacity to support children and families effectively (Sun, Tamblyn et al., 2024; Sun, Skouteris et al., 2024).

For children

  • When trauma goes unrecognised or unsupported, its effects ripple through the entire learning community.

  • Children require calm, emotionally regulated adults to support them through co-regulation and to model safe and secure relationships. The emotional toll of working with trauma-impacted children can undermine educator wellbeing, reducing their capacity to offer this essential support.

  • In environments that are not trauma-informed, children may be unintentionally re-triggered, reinforcing feelings of fear, shame and insecurity.

  • Childhood trauma, when unaddressed, has long-term impacts on attachment, wellbeing, learning, and health (De Bellis & Zisk, 2014; De Prince et al., 2009; Powers et al., 2015).

  • The effects of unaddressed trauma extend beyond individual children, impacting the physical and emotional safety and wellbeing of the whole classroom.

For families

  • Early childhood services are universal access points where families can receive information, support, and connection. Families navigating trauma also need trauma-informed support to feel safe and connected to early learning services. When educators are unequipped to engage with families in these ways, critical opportunities for trust-building and support can be missed.

A solution is urgently needed - one that recognises and responds to the complexities of trauma and ensures that educators are equipped, supported and not left to manage it alone.

“It feels impossible to meet both the educational and wellbeing needs of children as one person. I constantly feel burnt out and anxious about not being able to do it all, making the profession a difficult one to stay in. Many hands make light work - we can’t do this alone!” – Educator, New South Wales

The potential of cross-disciplinary collaboration

Early childhood settings have the potential to serve as public health hubs, where trauma-informed approaches are embedded into everyday practices. They offer a physical and relational space for cross-disciplinary collaboration, where educators work collaboratively with, and receive support (e.g. coaching, clinical supervision, consultation) from professionals with trauma expertise (Sun et al., 2025). This approach enables:

  • Capacity building: Educators develop practical skills and enhance their understanding to integrate trauma-informed approaches into daily practice.
  • Timely and responsive interventions: Trauma consultants can support with trauma identification, targeted support and referrals, reducing the burden on educators.
  • Holistic care coordination: Stronger connections between education, health, and social services create integrated, wraparound support systems - with families as active partners in their child’s care.

The realities of cross-disciplinary collaboration

For early childhood professionals, access to interdisciplinary support remains a significant barrier. Programs such as Trauma Consultancy Services (TraCS) offer valuable models of trauma-informed capacity building and collaborative support, but funding limitations make them inaccessible to many early childhood settings in need, ultimately limiting their reach. Policy and funding solutions are required to unlock the scalability and sustainability of these collaboration models.

A call for government action

Cross-disciplinary collaboration builds stronger, more resilient and trauma-informed environments that support educator wellbeing, and ensure children feel safe, supported, and ready to learn. To enable this, governments should:

  • Establish and sustain dedicated funding streams to enable cross-disciplinary collaboration in early childhood settings serving trauma-impacted children.
  • Promote interprofessional collaboration from pre-service training onwards, preparing educators, social workers and health professionals to work together effectively.
  • Address clinical supervision inequities: From an equity perspective, educators are one of the very few professions who don’t have access to clinical supervision when supporting children impacted by trauma. Expand access to trauma-informed consultation and supervision across early childhood centres is timely and valuable.

References:

De Bellis, M., & Zisk, A. (2014). The biological effects of childhood trauma. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 23(2), 185–222.

De Prince, A. P., Weinzierl, K. M., & Combs, M. D. (2009). Executive function performance and trauma exposure in a community sample of children. Child Abuse & Neglect, 33(6),353–361.

Powers, A, Etkin, A, Gyurak, A, Bradley, B, & Jovanovic, T. (2015). Associations between childhood abuse, posttraumatic stress disorder, and implicit emotion regulation deficits: Evidence from a low-income, inner-city population. Psychiatry, 78(3), 251–264.

Sun, Y., Skouteris., H., Tamblyn, A., Berger, E., Blewitt, C. (2025). Cross-disciplinary collaboration to promote trauma-informed practices in early childhood and primary education. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 1-21.

Sun, Y., Tamblyn, A., Morris, H., Boothby, C., Skouteris, H., & Blewitt, C. (2024). Early childhood and primary school Teachers’ experiences and needs in working with trauma-impacted Children: A systematic review and thematic synthesis. Children and Youth Services Review, 156, 107344.

Sun, Y., Skouteris, H., Bowden, M., Cameron, L., Blewitt, C. (2024). “It takes reflection at all different levels, not just people on the floor”: A qualitative exploration of early childhood professionals’ experiences and perspectives towards trauma-informed early childhood organisation. School Mental Health, 16 (3).