Thank you to our 2026 sponsors and supporters
Platinum Sponsors
Through our Healing Oriented Program of Education (HOPE) ™, we have reimagined education and the critical relationship between learning and wellbeing for young people. HOPE is built upon a foundation of safety, trust, agency and supportive relationships. HOPE takes a holistic view of a young person’s needs and development, recognising the interconnectedness of all parts of the person’s life and hence the need for a multi-disciplinary and coordinated approach. This is where wellbeing for learning and learning for wellbeing intersect and work collaboratively together for impact allowing our students to gain the life skills and education certificates needed to move towards their desired positive pathway. HOPE reflects an evidence informed approach to supporting young people to re-engage in education through the multi-disciplinary team approach, alongside tools such as the Individual Wellbeing and Learning Plans (IWLP) and Restorative Practices model.
There are currently five campuses within Melbourne and surrounding suburbs, with upcoming campuses in Geelong and Dandenong.
Berry Street Education Model (BSEM) is an approach to teaching and learning based on over a decade of Berry Street’s longitudinal research exploring advances in trauma-informed education, wellbeing, positive education, and the sciences of learning. The model empowers educators with practical, classroom-based strategies to increase the engagement of all students, including those with complex, unmet learning needs. Over 100,000 educators have applied BSEM, and our evidence shows that it has a transformative impact on achievement, engagement, wellbeing and behaviour. For more information about how BSEM can transform your classroom or school, visit bsem.org.au
Silver Sponsor
Open Parachute is an Australian, evidence-based, curriculum-aligned Social-Emotional Learning program that teaches practical mental health skills to students K-12.
Each lesson teaches a Trauma-informed perspective through authentic documentary videos featuring Australian youth that showcase the journey of overcoming challenge.
Bronze Sponsor
Hester Hornbrook Academy is fee-free Special Assistance School established in 2017, that provides equal access to quality education and wellbeing for students 15 -25 years of age to reach their full potential. The school is focused on supporting young people who have experienced education and/or social challenges, have disengaged from school, and who are from some of the most disadvantaged areas of Victoria.
Through our Healing Oriented Program of Education (HOPE) ™, we have reimagined education and the critical relationship between learning and wellbeing for young people. HOPE is built upon a foundation of safety, trust, agency and supportive relationships. HOPE takes a holistic view of a young person’s needs and development, recognising the interconnectedness of all parts of the person’s life and hence the need for a multi-disciplinary and coordinated approach. This is where wellbeing for learning and learning for wellbeing intersect and work collaboratively together for impact allowing our students to gain the life skills and education certificates needed to move towards their desired positive pathway. HOPE reflects an evidence informed approach to supporting young people to re-engage in education through the multi-disciplinary team approach, alongside tools such as the Individual Wellbeing and Learning Plans (IWLP) and Restorative Practices model.
There are currently five campuses within Melbourne and surrounding suburbs, with upcoming campuses in Geelong and Dandenong.
Name Badge Sponsor
Queensland Kids Partnership is working to transform systems, so all young Queenslanders can thrive.
The wellbeing of babies, kids and young people is shaped by who and what surrounds them – their carers, communities, homes, health supports, education, culture and environment. When their environment is strong and connected, kids can thrive, but right now some young Queenslanders don’t have that.
Queensland Kids Partnership is changing this. Since late 2020, we’ve been bringing together people, communities, decision-makers, change-makers and workplaces from across Queensland to improve connectedness, learning, and support in communities, workforces and organisations.
Together, we can create a powerful movement to reshape the environment so that every baby, child and young person is thriving, every family is supported and connected, every community resourced and taking collective responsibility for raising thriving Queenslanders.
Exhibitors
Hester Hornbrook Academy is fee-free Special Assistance School established in 2017, that provides equal access to quality education and wellbeing for students 15 -25 years of age to reach their full potential. The school is focused on supporting young people who have experienced education and/or social challenges, have disengaged from school, and who are from some of the most disadvantaged areas of Victoria.
Through our Healing Oriented Program of Education (HOPE) ™, we have reimagined education and the critical relationship between learning and wellbeing for young people. HOPE is built upon a foundation of safety, trust, agency and supportive relationships. HOPE takes a holistic view of a young person’s needs and development, recognising the interconnectedness of all parts of the person’s life and hence the need for a multi-disciplinary and coordinated approach. This is where wellbeing for learning and learning for wellbeing intersect and work collaboratively together for impact allowing our students to gain the life skills and education certificates needed to move towards their desired positive pathway. HOPE reflects an evidence informed approach to supporting young people to re-engage in education through the multi-disciplinary team approach, alongside tools such as the Individual Wellbeing and Learning Plans (IWLP) and Restorative Practices model.
There are currently five campuses within Melbourne and surrounding suburbs, with upcoming campuses in Geelong and Dandenong.
Berry Street Education Model (BSEM) is an approach to teaching and learning based on over a decade of Berry Street’s longitudinal research exploring advances in trauma-informed education, wellbeing, positive education, and the sciences of learning. The model empowers educators with practical, classroom-based strategies to increase the engagement of all students, including those with complex, unmet learning needs. Over 100,000 educators have applied BSEM, and our evidence shows that it has a transformative impact on achievement, engagement, wellbeing and behaviour. For more information about how BSEM can transform your classroom or school, visit bsem.org.au
Connected Self was founded on the belief that everyone has the right to good mental health and meaningful connection. Since 2007, we have grown into a dedicated community of practitioners committed to making a positive difference in people’s lives. Our work is grounded in connection — to self, others, community, and environment — as the foundation for growth, wellbeing, and change.
We specialise in delivering tailored, trauma informed training and support to education services. Our work helps educators, leaders, and support staff understand the impact of trauma and respond with compassion, safety, and attunement. Training options include whole staff professional learning, small group sessions, reflective practice, leadership development, and implementation team support. This flexibility allows us to meet each school community where they are and build capability in ways that are meaningful, sustainable, and aligned with their unique context.
Alongside our training and consultancy services, we also provide therapeutic services, individual therapy, and school programs that support children, young people, and adults to build resilience, strengthen emotional awareness, and develop healthy relationships.
At Connected Self, we recognise that connection is at the heart of healing. We work alongside schools and education communities to strengthen capacity, resilience, and confidence in supporting the wellbeing of students and staff. Our programs foster deeper understanding, stronger relationships, and more inclusive learning cultures where everyone feels valued and supported.
With a genuine passion for people and connection, we are committed to helping education services create lasting, positive change — one relationship, one insight, and one community at a time.
The MacKillop Institute, part of MacKillop Family Services, delivers evidence-informed programs that promote organisational and school wellbeing and strengthen child safety practices. Our work supports leaders, educators and care professionals to create environments where children and young people can thrive, while enhancing the capacity and wellbeing of the staff who care for them.
MacKillop Family Services, established in 1997, is guided by a commitment to social justice and a vision of safe, nurturing communities for all children and families. With a 170-year legacy and more than 2,500 staff across 53 sites nationally, MacKillop provides high-quality services in family support, out-of-home care, disability and education, including operating specialist schools and outreach programs. Our work is underpinned by a strong focus on preventing harm and promoting healing.
Founded in 2019, The MacKillop Institute draws on decades of frontline experience and academic partnerships to deliver trauma-informed professional learning, training and consultancy services. Our programs are grounded in real-world practice and robust evidence, ensuring sustainable and impactful approaches that foster safety, healing and wellbeing.
Modern Teaching Aids (MTA): Your Trusted Partner in Teaching and Learning
With 70 years of experience supporting educators, Modern Teaching Aids (MTA) is proud to support the Trauma Aware Education event.
For seven decades, MTA has worked alongside educators and specialists across Australia, building trusted relationships through understanding, reliability, and service. We focus on meeting their real needs by providing a broad range of quality teaching and learning resources.
Our collection of more than 24,000 products supports different learning styles and helps create safe, inclusive learning environments where children and educators can thrive.
We value human connection and the sharing of best practice. Visit the MTA team to explore our latest resources and learn how we can support trauma aware practice in your centre and help make a positive difference in every child’s world.
Modern Teaching Aids (MTA): Your Trusted Partner in Teaching and Learning
With 70 years of experience supporting educators, Modern Teaching Aids (MTA) is proud to support the Trauma Aware Education event.
For seven decades, MTA has worked alongside educators and specialists across Australia, building trusted relationships through understanding, reliability, and service. We focus on meeting their real needs by providing a broad range of quality teaching and learning resources.
Our collection of more than 24,000 products supports different learning styles and helps create safe, inclusive learning environments where children and educators can thrive.
We value human connection and the sharing of best practice. Visit the MTA team to explore our latest resources and learn how we can support trauma aware practice in your centre and help make a positive difference in every child’s world.
Switch4Schools is an Australian digital wellbeing application designed to support schools to build emotionally capable students and sustain educator wellbeing. Used across primary, secondary and alternative education settings, the platform helps schools move beyond awareness toward practical emotional competence that can be applied in everyday classroom and staffroom situations.
Switch4Schools enables students to recognise and communicate emotions, regulate impulses, and develop emotional language that supports learning and behaviour. For educators, the platform provides insights and tools that support cognitive empathy and effective decision making under pressure, reducing emotional overload and burnout while maintaining care and connection.
A key strength of the platform is its fully resourced lesson plans and assessment tools. These comprehensively map to national and state based social and emotional learning curriculum requirements, giving schools confidence that wellbeing learning is aligned with mandated frameworks. Teachers are provided with ready to use resources that support whole class instruction, small group work, and individual behaviour support, reducing preparation time and increasing consistency of practice.
Built on contemporary psychology and neuroscience, the application translates complex emotional concepts into developmentally appropriate and practical digital experiences. Daily emotional check ins, structured reflection, lesson content, and assessment resources work together to support student growth and educator practice.
Switch4Schools is grounded in trauma aware principles that value safety, predictability, and relationships, while also promoting student agency, emotional capability, and sustainable educator wellbeing. By embedding EI into daily school routines, Switch4Schools supports calmer classrooms, healthier staff, and learning environments where both students and educators can thrive.
Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) is a global leader in evidence-based behaviour management and de-escalation training. For more than 40 years, CPI has equipped professionals with practical skills to recognise, prevent and safely respond to behaviours of concern across education, health and community settings. Our approach is grounded in person-centred and trauma-informed principles that prioritise safety, dignity and respect for every individual.
CPI partners with schools and education systems to help create safe, supportive and inclusive learning environments. Our training provides educators, school leaders and support staff with strategies to build positive relationships, reduce escalation and respond confidently when behaviour reflects underlying trauma, distress or unmet needs. By strengthening staff capability, schools can improve wellbeing outcomes for both students and teams.
Through our flexible train-the-trainer model, organisations build internal expertise that promotes consistency, sustainability and whole-school alignment. CPI’s practical, easy-to-implement frameworks support proactive culture change rather than reactive crisis response.
By working with CPI, delegates at the Trauma-Aware Education Conference gain access to proven tools and evidence-based strategies that strengthen trauma-aware practice and foster safer, more connected educational communities.
QPASTT is a non-government, not-for-profit organisation providing culturally responsive services that promote the health, wellbeing and recovery of people in Australia who have sought safety from persecution, torture and war-related trauma. Established in 1995, we support individuals, families and communities from refugee backgrounds across Queensland, welcoming people of all ages, cultures, genders, abilities, languages, sexualities and faiths.
Our vision is for people from refugee backgrounds to live lives liberated from the harms of torture, trauma and human rights injustice. Guided by this vision, our purpose is to nurture meaningful futures by assisting survivors to heal, belong and thrive. We are committed to trauma-informed, strengths-based and culturally grounded practice, acknowledging that recovery is a journey across mind, body and spirit.
QPASTT’s work is shaped by key values that underpin all support we provide. Kindness ensures that survivors remain at the centre of our work. Optimism drives our belief in the possibility of healing and meaningful futures. Perseverance reflects our understanding that recovery requires time, courage and patience. Fairness reinforces our commitment to justice and belonging as human rights. Honesty guides our ethical, transparent and impactful service delivery.
We work collaboratively with schools, community organisations and service providers to strengthen trauma-aware practice and build environments where young people and families feel safe, connected and empowered. As a member of the national FASSTT network, QPASTT is connected to specialist agencies across Australia and internationally, contributing to best practice in supporting survivors of torture and trauma.
Switch4Schools is an Australian digital wellbeing application designed to support schools to build emotionally capable students and sustain educator wellbeing. Used across primary, secondary and alternative education settings, the platform helps schools move beyond awareness toward practical emotional competence that can be applied in everyday classroom and staffroom situations.
Switch4Schools enables students to recognise and communicate emotions, regulate impulses, and develop emotional language that supports learning and behaviour. For educators, the platform provides insights and tools that support cognitive empathy and effective decision making under pressure, reducing emotional overload and burnout while maintaining care and connection.
A key strength of the platform is its fully resourced lesson plans and assessment tools. These comprehensively map to national and state based social and emotional learning curriculum requirements, giving schools confidence that wellbeing learning is aligned with mandated frameworks. Teachers are provided with ready to use resources that support whole class instruction, small group work, and individual behaviour support, reducing preparation time and increasing consistency of practice.
Built on contemporary psychology and neuroscience, the application translates complex emotional concepts into developmentally appropriate and practical digital experiences. Daily emotional check ins, structured reflection, lesson content, and assessment resources work together to support student growth and educator practice.
Switch4Schools is grounded in trauma aware principles that value safety, predictability, and relationships, while also promoting student agency, emotional capability, and sustainable educator wellbeing. By embedding EI into daily school routines, Switch4Schools supports calmer classrooms, healthier staff, and learning environments where both students and educators can thrive.
Fair Trade With Friends is a Queensland-based, volunteer-led social enterprise connecting Australian communities with handcrafted products made by artisans in developing nations. Founded during COVID by friends Shannon O’Dell, Lindsey Leijen and Beth Jent, what began as a small garage sale among friends has grown into a meaningful platform for ethical trade, education, and empowerment.
We partner with organisations globally, many working with survivors of trafficking and modern slavery. Through learning handicraft skills, survivors gain dignified employment, sustainable income, and a pathway toward healing and restoration. By bringing their beautiful handmade products to our Queensland community, we create a tangible link between local consumers and survivor-led enterprises.
Every purchase tells a story. We stock artisan homewares, jewellery, educational toys, and gifts — each item ethically sourced and rich with purpose. We love sharing the stories behind our products, helping customers understand how fair trade directly impacts lives.
We proudly donate a portion of profits from every sale to International Justice Mission (IJM Australia), part of the world’s largest anti-slavery organisation. Importantly, we do not draw wages from our business; every cent is reinvested back into our artisan partners and supported groups.
Fair Trade With Friends offers a practical example of trauma-informed economic empowerment in action. We believe ethical trade is not charity — it is justice, dignity, and prevention. Through markets, events, and community engagement, we aim to educate, inspire, and empower others to shop with purpose and change the world — one purchase at a time.
Cire Community School is a co-educational independent school across four campuses in Melbourne’s east.
Our mission is to create a safe and supportive school where every student can grow academically, socially, and emotionally. We understand the impact of trauma on development and respond with unconditional positive regard. We have been proud to connect with and empower a diverse cohort of students for over ten years.
The Australian Childhood Foundation is a national organisation working alongside children, families, schools, and communities to strengthen environments that support safety, connection, and learning.
The Foundation delivers therapeutic services in local hubs across Australia, including specialist support for children in various settings. This clinical work shapes the Foundation’s approach to trauma informed education and workforce capability.
The Foundation partners with schools and education systems to embed trauma transformative practice. This includes long standing delivery of the SMART Program in South Australia and Trauma Informed Schools initiatives in Tasmania, alongside professional learning, consultation, reflective practice, workplace wellbeing, and whole school capability programs.
Our flagship framework, Making SPACE for Learning, supports educators to create relationally rich, predictable, culturally safe learning environments that help students feel regulated, connected, and ready to learn.
As a registered training organisation, the Foundation offers accredited qualifications and structured learning pathways for educators and allied professionals. A broad range of blended and self paced programs supports leaders, wellbeing teams, early years practitioners, and alternative education settings.
Knowledge mobilisation is central to the Foundation’s mission. The Centre for Excellence in Therapeutic Care provides research translation, practical tools, and communities of learning, while the biennial International Childhood Trauma Conference brings together global expertise and lived experience voices to advance trauma responsive systems.
Our parenting and early years programs, including Bringing Up Great Kids, complement school based initiatives by helping families build nurturing, reflective relationships with their children.
Across its work, the Foundation supports schools to create environments where children feel safe, capable, and ready to thrive.
The Australian Childhood Foundation is a national organisation working alongside children, families, schools, and communities to strengthen environments that support safety, connection, and learning.
The Foundation delivers therapeutic services in local hubs across Australia, including specialist support for children in various settings. This clinical work shapes the Foundation’s approach to trauma informed education and workforce capability.
The Foundation partners with schools and education systems to embed trauma transformative practice. This includes long standing delivery of the SMART Program in South Australia and Trauma Informed Schools initiatives in Tasmania, alongside professional learning, consultation, reflective practice, workplace wellbeing, and whole school capability programs.
Our flagship framework, Making SPACE for Learning, supports educators to create relationally rich, predictable, culturally safe learning environments that help students feel regulated, connected, and ready to learn.
As a registered training organisation, the Foundation offers accredited qualifications and structured learning pathways for educators and allied professionals. A broad range of blended and self paced programs supports leaders, wellbeing teams, early years practitioners, and alternative education settings.
Knowledge mobilisation is central to the Foundation’s mission. The Centre for Excellence in Therapeutic Care provides research translation, practical tools, and communities of learning, while the biennial International Childhood Trauma Conference brings together global expertise and lived experience voices to advance trauma responsive systems.
Our parenting and early years programs, including Bringing Up Great Kids, complement school based initiatives by helping families build nurturing, reflective relationships with their children.
Across its work, the Foundation supports schools to create environments where children feel safe, capable, and ready to thrive.
Book Stall Sponsor
Australasia’s Leading Provider of Mental Health Training & Resources for the Education, Health & Social Service Sectors.
Conference Supporters
Gold
Today our mission continues through care, prevention and advocacy – from supporting children experiencing family violence to online bullying and fighting for the rights of young people everywhere. After 25 years, our fight continues. The challenges facing children and young people may have changed, but our mission has not.
Silver
YSchools were stablished in 2010 to provide a real opportunity for all young people to achieve their full potential irrelevant of circumstance.
We are founded on the principle that all students can achieve a pathway to success, with the right support. We use strengths-based, trauma-aware approaches to support students who have difficulty engaging in mainstream education. Y Schools provide adjusted educational programs and vocational training in an alternative learning environment, coupled with a high degree of wrap-around wellbeing support. Students participate in programs dedicated to enhancing practical and personal skills, at a pace that encourages school attendance, engagement, confidence and self-determination.
The development of the whole person is of utmost importance and we are guided in developing this through the Y’s philosophy of valuing a person’s Mind, Body and Spirit. Our mission is to positively engage young people in education and lifelong learning in an inclusive environment, empowering them to become well-rounded, confident and healthy human beings. The demand for our schools has grown exponentially since inception due to an increasing need and proven ability to achieve a positive impact with students and their families and we now operate 11 campuses across Queensland’s south east corner and Bundaberg. We continue to grow, evolve and adapt to remain effective in catering for the changing needs of young people in an agile landscape of the unique communities where we are located.
Bronze sponsor
The Thriving Queensland Kids Partnership (TQKP) is a coalition and intermediary of from Queensland and beyond, hosted by ARACY – the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth. TQKP’s purpose is to ‘catalyse systems to change the odds for Queensland children and young people to thrive’.
To achieve this, TQKP:
- brings people, organisations and sectors together
- uses what we know and learn
- supports leaders and catalysts, and
- facilitates collaborative action, innovation and development.
Through a portfolio of interconnected initiatives, together with many partners and collaborators across sectors and throughout the state of Queensland, our intent is to build better connections, capabilities, and capacities in the key areas of:
- concerted leadership
- smarter investment
- stronger workforces
- enabled caregivers and communities
- integrated and developmental delivery and
- putting data, evidence and experience to work.
This means an ecosystem better stewarded and equipped (developmentally focused, trauma-informed, neuro-capable and healing-oriented) and working well together to:
- reduce the experience and consequences of inequity and adversity, and
- improve opportunities, capabilities and outcomes so all Queensland kids have a great start and journey in life.
For more about TQKP’s current initiatives, visit: www.tqkp.org.au/tqkp-work-program
Bronze sponsor
Dinner sponsor
Little Stars Foundation is a not for profit organisation based in South East Queensland which provides supports to children living in foster, kinship and residential care. The support provided includes educational support grants, provision of school bags and items needed for school, suitcases with essential items for children entering foster, kinship and residential care and a community engagement program where children are able to attend special community events with their carers such as trips to the zoo, football and theatre events and the like. Little Stars Foundation also runs workshops and provides training courses to support children in care and those who support them including teachers, carers and providers who work with these children.
Name badge sponsor
The Queensland Teachers’ Union has been the true professional and industrial voice of Queensland’s teachers and school leaders in state schools and TAFE throughout Queensland for more than 132 years.
App banner sponsor
