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Making SPACE for Learning

Australian Childhood Foundation

Making SPACE for Learning assists schools to better understand and meet the needs of children, young people, families, communities who are affected by trauma. It's delivered nationally via face-to-face workshops, virtual classrooms and as an 'on-demand' course. A range of extension workshops and implementation support is also available.

  • Online
  • ACT
  • NSW
  • NT
  • QLD
  • SA
  • Tas
  • Vic
  • WA

Pricing: Paid

Origin: Developed in Australia for Australian schooling contexts

Affiliations: Approved elsewhere: VIC

Product type: Activity sheets; Professional learning; Whole school approach or initiative; Learning modules

Contact details

Australian Childhood Foundation
ABN: 28 057 044 514

https://professionals.childhood.org.au/course/making-space-for-learning/

support@childhood.org.au

Focus areas

  • Positive relationships

  • Belonging and inclusion

  • Self-regulation and engagement

  • Resilience and optimism

Curriculum alignment

  • Health and PE

Prospective users

Audience: Whole school universal (Tier 1), Whole class universal (Tier 1), Targeted small group early intervention (Tier 2)

Context: School or centre-based, Outside School Hours Care (OSHC), Home-schooling

Main beneficiaries: Early learning, Foundation/Prep, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6, Year 7, Year 8, Year 9, Year 10, Year 11, Year 12

Delivery style: Delivered by program staff; Student, self-directed

Aims & approach

Making SPACE for Learning is available for all school staff, including leaders, teachers, wellbeing, and support staff.

It supports trauma transformative school environments through:

  • Understanding children's needs for relational safety, predictability, and connection in the classroom and the impact of trauma.
  • Practical strategies for individual classrooms, whole school, the school environment, and family and community connections.
  • Tailored content for early years, primary schools, and secondary schools.
  • Multi-modal learning, including an on-demand course (for individuals and groups); and/or full-day workshops (available onsite or via virtual classrooms).
  • Learning extensions relating to safeguarding, responding to challenging behaviour, social and emotional learning, the interplay of trauma and neurodivergence.
  • A focus on educator self-care and wellbeing.

Implementation support

  • Access to professional facilitator, instructor or mentor
  • Implementation training webinars or modules
  • Ongoing helpdesk, email or phone support

Evidence

The program is based in trauma transformative theory, which incorporates an understanding of neurobiology, school environment, cultural humility, family and community context, and a whole school approach.

It draws from the 'Handbook of Trauma Transformative Practice' (Tucci, Mitchell, Porges, Tronick, 2024) which brings together the work of leading international trauma experts in a vision of transformation and healing.

It's aligned with the National Guidelines for Trauma-Aware Education.