CREATE Foundation partnered with young people in the ACT to develop a resource for educators. The Resource provides teachers with insights and tips from young people for supporting students growing up in out-of-home care.
The resource is available now and free to download.
Why the Educator Resource was made
Last year, CREATE in the ACT held a Youth Advisory Group (YAG) with young people aged 10+, living in care.
Our YAGs are safe places for young people to talk openly about the biggest issues they face growing up in care. And what can be done about them.
In our YAG last year, education kept coming up. Young people spoke about the education system not understanding them and the challenges they faced compared with their peers.
"We have unique challenges"
"We need extra support"
Young people shared that there were many things that made the classroom challenging for them. Their diversity of our experiences (e.g. care types) being one of them.
"For example, if we’re in residential care, it’s hard for us to even get to school. "
They also spoke about wanting more support and understanding from their teachers. The young people raised the idea of a training package for teachers covering trauma, regulation techniques, having a safe space, and what ‘understanding’ involves.
The young people had a lot to say and there was too much to cover in the YAG, so CREATE held another two YAGs on the topic where young people identified a range of issues and practices that could be improved.
And so, this Resource was born…
Dive into the Educator Resource
Page 1 - Trauma
The first page helps teachers understand trauma and the impact it can have on a young person in a school-setting.
It highlights that young people who appear disengaged, unfocused or angry do in fact want to learn and be part of the school environment but may be feeling unsafe or distressed.
It provides tips for supporting struggling students, including goal-setting, strengths-based communication, reading body language and where unsure, checking with an individual to understand what they need to feel supported and engaged in their schooling.
Page 2 - Stigma and safe space
Page 2 covers stigma and how to create a safe space at school for students who are growing up in out-of-home care. It calls on adults to recognise the potential of young people and to help them dream big.
This part of the Resource also draws to attention the harm of labels and discrimination young people with a care experience can face. Young people ask educators to be sensitive, subtle, understanding and to support them to stay engaged at school.
There are also tips for creating a safe space at school where young people feel they are heard, that they can trust in their teachers and other adults, and that they have the support and understanding to self-regulate and thrive in the school environment.
Page 3 - Academic needs and support
There’s some things young people said that they really needed from educators and the school environment and they include
- Support with physical and mental factors that can impact learning
- Adjustments to assignments and the learning environment such as print-outs and extensions
- Inclusion of different learning styles and ‘chunking’ learning down into smaller pieces
- Support with the transition between education levels (primary, high school, and onwards)
- Outdoor learning
- And to “believe in us and our potential”
CREATE would like to thank all the young people involved in this project for sharing their voice and insights. We thank educators for implementing their advice and helping all children and young people with a care experience to thrive in their learning.
