Investing in Trauma support for Tasmanian Students

Sarah Courtney,Minister for Education

The Tasmanian Liberal Government has delivered on its First 30 Day election commitment to identify a further 100 students who will receive intensive trauma support in our schools.

Trauma in childhood can often result in significant behavioural and emotional challenges for children and young people that impacts on their ability to learn.

Providing further intensive support to these young people will improve their self-regulation, help them to build strong relationships, and support their general wellbeing. This is demonstrated to positively impact their engagement with learning and academic achievement.

That’s why we committed an additional $8 million at the election to boost our investment in trauma support for students in Tasmanian Government schools to $22 million.

A Department of Education panel met yesterday to allocate funding for additional support to 100 children and young people who have experienced trauma, based on need, in line with the commitment.

This takes the total number of students this year who will receive intensive trauma support to 256.

The Model for Supporting Students Impacted by Trauma includes individual learning programs, providing additional teacher-aide time and engaging students through Youth Mentoring programs.

Funding is also provided to support professional development in trauma for school leaders, teachers and teacher assistants, ensuring all relevant staff in Government schools have the knowledge and skills to adapt teaching practices to support the learning of young people impacted by trauma.

The Model supports the Department’s broader Child and Student Wellbeing Strategy, which places the child at the centre of our efforts to improve wellbeing for learning and will help deliver better outcomes for all children and young people.

By working in partnership with students, teachers, and families, the Tasmanian Liberal Government will help support learning opportunities and outcomes for all young Tasmanians.

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