The impacts of childhood trauma and attachment difficulties are still not well understood in the wider community and this includes at school. As a carer or parent, you can advocate for your child. Help teachers understand why your child or teen finds school so hard, and what strategies can help them to learn. 

The first step of course is to learn about the impacts of trauma and attachment difficulties yourself. You will learn a lot at one of our training sessions such as Understanding and responding to trauma or Parenting a traumatised child. See our training calendar for more information.

We’ve listed some resources to help you understand the effects of trauma. Read them yourself and pass them onto the school principal or your child’s teachers. 

Safe Spaces, Safe Faces Safe Places: Trauma Resources for schools 

Resources introducing the concept of trauma and outlining the key areas of trauma-informed teaching practice. 

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Calmer Classrooms: A guide to working with traumatised children 

This booklet encourages teachers and other school personnel to forge those attachments through two key mechanisms: understanding traumatised children and developing relationship-based skills to help them. 

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Making Space for Learning: Trauma informed practice in schools 

Understanding and responding to traumatised children and young people at school.

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