For Teachers
Teachers are in a unique position to identify children who are experiencing difficulties following a natural disaster because of their role, expertise, and extended contact with children. However, every young person reacts differently to a traumatic event so it is not always clear what types of reactions they will display, or how the event might affect them in the longer-term. For this reason these resources have been developed by The Centre of National Research on Disability and Rehabilitation Medicine to assist teachers in identifying the range of ways that children may respond to traumatic stress, and to provide some information on how to respond to these reactions.
What are the Teacher Training Resources?
The Teacher Training Resource package is comprised of a main teacher guide, plus a series of tip sheets for use by teachers with children from preschool age through to adolescents.
The main guide provides detailed background information to help teachers identify and manage child reactions following natural disasters. The first section of the main guide introduces some of the more typical reactions children might display (immediately and long-term) after experiencing a traumatic event. The second section outlines the important role that teachers and schools can play in helping children after a natural disaster. The third section provides information on what teachers can do when they identify a student that may benefit from further assistance. The final section of this resource provides additional helpful information about more severe reactions that youth may experience.
In addition to the main guide, there are a series of tip sheets that teachers can use to help understand and manage children's reactions following traumatic events. Readers should consult the main guide for detailed information and utilise the tip sheet series as a quick guide or as needed.
You can view and download the Child Trauma Handbook and Teacher Training Tip Sheets below:
- Child Trauma Handbook - Teacher Manual
- Tip sheet: How to help and when
- Tip sheet: Preschool aged children
- Tip sheet: Primary school students
- Tip sheet: Early teens and adolescents
- Tip sheet: How teachers can help in the classroom
- Tip sheet: Teacher self-care
- Child Trauma Screening Questionnaire Information
- Child Trauma Screening Questionnaire
Emerging Minds Community Trauma Toolkit
Developed by Emerging Minds and the Australian National University as part of the National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health project, the information and training materials include videos, podcasts, training workshops to run with your team and downloadable fact sheets.
The toolkit is tailored to six key audiences – educators, first responders, community leaders, families, general practitioners (GPs), and health and social service practitioners. It's also arranged to match five timelines – preparedness, immediate, short-term recovery, long-term recovery and ongoing recovery.
Visit the toolkit here.
What is the Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators?
The Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators was developed by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network to provide school administrators, teachers, staff, and concerned parents with basic information about working with traumatized children in the school system. The Toolkit is made up of 10 fact sheets that discuss various aspects of trauma in schools and how educators and parents can respond.
The Child Trauma Toolkit can be accessed here.