Health and Wellbeing Contexts

04.1Understanding the Context

Healthcare factors are parental mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse, trauma, bereavement, abuse and neglect. There are common elements to these experiences, which should not be interpreted as identical or foregone conclusions that would cause harm. A trauma-informed lens asks, "What's going on?" and implicitly asks, "How is it that something that is responsible for creating stress can also be buffered by reliable, responsive relationships?" This question is answered by attachment theory. 62 per cent of Australians surveyed in the Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS) experienced at least one type of maltreatment and 48 per cent of those who experienced at least one type of maltreatment met criteria for having a mental disorder, compared with 21 per cent of those who had not been maltreated (Haslam et al., 2023; Scott et al., 2023). These incidents require prevention and effective response, but teaching staff should not diagnose a child or equate the illness of a parent with poor parenting.

04.2Impact on Children and Families

Attention, sleep patterns, use of language, emotional control, and trust can all be impacted by chronic stress. A bereaved child can ask the same question over and over or can go from sad to play. Children who are exposed to frightening behavior might become vigilant, controlling, or withdrawn, or they might exhibit no obvious symptoms. Sometimes while the nervous system is busy with safety, it's hard to learn and hard to get into a peer group. Stable relationships, quiet areas, structure and routine, and accessible safeguarding are required. Teachers must make a note of facts they see, act in a supportive way to disclosures, and report in accordance with NSW guidelines. Family involvement needs to be respectful, including when a parent engages in mental health/alcohol and other drug services. When there is a need for immediate action, there can be no therapeutic classroom response.

Developmental lens avoids minimization and over-pathologizing. For preschool children, behaviour is a form of communication, but only one behaviour indicates the cause. Similar observations may result from sleep loss, neurodivergence, illness, grief and frightening experiences. Teachers should keep a record of when, what, for how long, what worked well, and what supports were successful, and have a discussion with families about the patterns, using neutral language. Regulation strategies should be provided to the entire class rather than to an individual child to avoid stigmatizing the child as "damaged". Universal practice should be coupled with prompt action of safeguard initiatives when concern arises from indicators or disclosures. The position of the educator is to receive and report, not to investigate or to promise to keep quiet. Following the report, the child requires regular play, learning, and secure relationships. Families with mental health and/or substance use disorder supports can worry about stigma and loss of services. Having clear boundaries and being compassionate can foster help-seeking behaviour earlier. Even team wellbeing impacts safety when employees are overloaded; they can become punitive, avoid tough talks with others, and be blind to the changes. The risk is minimized with regular supervision, clarity of roles and access to employee support. Evaluation may assess relationship security, engagement, and after-distress and successful referral relationship(s), with understanding that healing is not a simple linear process. Information sharing shall be limited and shall be necessary, to people who have a legitimate role, and in compliance with the law. Established roles ensure safety for the children and educators.

04.3Social Policy and Australian Responses

Safe and Supported is the national prevention framework, and the NSW Children's Guardian Act 2019 incorporates the Child Safe Standards and oversight. NSW protection responsibilities are outlined in the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998. In 2023 to 2024, emotional abuse was the most common form in 57 per cent of substantiated cases of maltreatment (AIHW, 2025c). Children's health and safety and respectful relationships (ACECQA, n.d.) are also a requirement of the National Quality Standard. In these settings, services need to have strategies and procedures in place to ensure that children are safe when recruited, that they understand the importance of reporting abuse, and that there are procedures for handling complaints and referrals. Policy needs to be enacted through relationships, to avoid having children silenced by safety procedures and to remove the shame of families seeking help.

04.4Strategies for Practice

1. Co-regulation before correction: Employ a calm voice, proximity and rhythmic activity prior to talking about behaviour (Emerging Minds, 2025b). An educator may take a slow breath with the child and provide 2 options as safe choices.
2. Predictability and control: Boundary-supporting and warning with visual routines, reducing uncertainty (Australian Child Maltreatment Study, 2023). Maintain consistency of daily anchors through staff changes.
3. Emotion and grief literature: Concrete feeling words and honest age-appropriate explanations (NSW Health, 2026). Don't use "soft" language when talking about death, and don't be too quick to say "no" to questions being asked repeatedly.
4. Safe response: Listen, affirm child, avoid investigative questions, record exact words (Office of the Children's Guardian, 2024). Follow reporting procedures in an immediate way.
5. Reflective team practice: Discuss with supervision for triggers, bias and secondary stress. Collectively review observations and discuss up to and above teacher skill, not informal diagnosis of a child or parent.

04.5Community and Professional Partnerships

04.6Resources for Educators and Children