Caring for Children and Young People with Trauma is an online training package for carers. The training has been developed by the Centre for Excellence in Therapeutic Care, a division of the Australian Childhood Foundation (ACF) in partnership with the Department for Child Protection (DCP).

This training recognises the impact of trauma on children’s development from birth through to adolescence, focuses on the role of relationships in children’s healing from their early life experiences and identifies strategies in responding to trauma-based behaviours that carers can implement at home.

The Centre for Excellence in Therapeutic Care (CETC) is a division of the Australian Childhood Foundation, a known leader in the provision of therapeutic care for children and families recovering from abuse, neglect, and violence. We mobilise knowledge about “what works” in out-of-home care to better resource carers and organisations supporting children and young people living in all forms of care, including foster and kinship care, residential care, and secure care.

• Up to 7 hours of online learning content
• Self-paced learning: start, pause, skip back, and skip ahead at your own pace
• Learning materials using a combination of slides, videos, quizzes, and opportunities for reflection
• 24/7 online accessibility to fit your schedule
• Technical support available during office hours

The purpose of this training is to:

• enable foster and kinship carers to access quality, evidence-based learning programs that are consistent with training received by DCP
• build the capacity of carers to apply trauma-informed approaches to caring for children and young people
• enable interested carers to undertake this training as a foundation towards a Certificate IV in Child Youth and Family Intervention.

The training has been created specifically for South Australian family-based carers who provide care for children 0 – 17 years.

There are two learning and development training packages tailored for kinship carers and foster carers, recognising the unique differences of each care type.

At registration, you will be prompted to select the foster or the kinship care course..

Aboriginal kinship carers or non-Aboriginal kinship carers providing care for Aboriginal children and/or young people may wish to undertake the kinship or foster care training online or they may prefer to complete the Healing Through Care Yarning Resource.

The third training package, Healing Through Care: A Yarning Resource, has been made directly available to supporting agencies to be delivered face-to-face either one-on-one or in small yarning circles. It includes culturally relevant images, design and tone of voice and presents both western and holistic cultural perspectives of healing trauma.

The Yarning Resource has specific messaging for kinship carers, however, the tools are also relevant for foster carers who may share some similar joys and challenges in caring for Aboriginal children and young people and can be adapted for use. Speak to your DCP kinship care worker or agency support worker for more information or visit the DCP carer platform here.

To register for the Caring for Children and Young People with Trauma training, visit the online registration link at: https://bit.ly/CFETCtrauma.
Once registered, you will then be provided with the necessary log-in details via email from the ACF.

You have 8 weeks (about 2 months) to complete the online training program. 

If you require assistance or support, please contact support@childhood.org.au.

The online training program should take between 3.5 hours to 7 hours to complete, depending on your experience and prior learning. 

The core modules are designed to take between 45 and 90 minutes each, while the welcome and introductory content takes about 20 minutes.  

There are five modules in total:

Module 1. Setting the Foundations – an introduction to all the training
Module 2. Brain Development
Module 3. Understanding trauma
Module 4. Trauma informed approaches
Module 5. Collaboration & self-care

You can leave at any point and pick up where you left off. Where possible, it is recommended to complete each module in one sitting.

Caring for Children and Young People with Trauma has been adapted to suit the particular needs of kinship carers and foster carers by enhancing their skills to apply trauma-informed approaches to caring for children and young people. This training provides foundations of trauma responsive-care by incorporating an understanding of the nervous system and brain function, trauma and its impacts, and trauma-informed responses to the needs and behaviours of children and young people in care.

At the end of the course you will receive a personalised certificate of completion to download and print.

If you encounter any technical issues, email us at support@childhood.org.au. 

You can also call to speak with someone from support services or the Centre for Excellence in Therapeutic Care on 1300 381 581. 

No. This is a non-accredited course developed to increase knowledge and skills in trauma-informed care for those with children and young people in family-based care.

No. You will be required to complete a Knowledge Check at the end of each module that includes multi-choice questions. You will be able to repeat these as many times as you need. It is important to remember it is not a test and the purpose of the checks is to help you reflect on the content of the module before you to move on to the next module.

Carers will receive support from their DCP kinship care worker or their agency support worker to participate in this learning and development.
Please let your kinship care worker or agency support worker know if you need some assistance.

We love feedback! Please email your feedback to support@childhood.org.au or call us on 1300 381 581. 

It is common for people to have questions when engaging with new learning, particularly with a complex topic such as trauma.
You are encouraged to reach out to your DCP kinship care worker or agency support worker to unpack and reflect on the content raised in this course and link you in with other sources of information and support.

This is a known issue for browsers that have 3rd party cookies set to automatically decline, such as used on work computers with strict security settings. This course uses 3rd party cookies only to display interactive elements containing a significant portion of learning content, and does not interfere with your browser or privacy in any way.

Enabling 3rd party cookies for Chrome users:

1. Open your browser settings by clicking the three dots in the top-right corner and clicking Settings.
2. From the menu, click on Privacy and security.
3. Click Cookies and other site data.
4. If enabled, click Allow all cookies.
5. If not enabled, add [*.]onlinelearning.childhood.org.au to Sites that can always use cookies, and be sure to click the box that appears to include 3rd party cookies.

If you need any assistance with this issue, please email us at support@childhood.org.au or call us on 1300 381 581.

The course may display slightly differently on different devices. A computer or laptop is recommended to avoid common technical issues.
Please contact the ACF via email support@childhood.org.au if you continue to experience difficulties. Alternatively, speak with your DCP kinship care worker or agency support worker who may be able to support you to access a more compatible device.

This course is provided in English. However, due to the digital nature of the training, you can take your time studying the material and making use of tools such as Google Translate and dictionaries to assist you.

It is important to note that this course covers topics and themes such as child abuse, trauma and violence that may be distressing. You are encouraged to speak with someone that you know and trust.

You can reach out to your DCP kinship care worker or agency support worker who may be able to provide additional home visiting while you undertake the training in response to your individual needs.

If this content has caused you concern and you need anonymous support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 or 13YARN on 13 92 76.

In the first instance, it is recommended you contact your support worker through DCP or the agency that is supporting you and the child/ren in your care. This course provides generalised knowledge of applying a trauma-informed approach to all caring, but cannot cover every unique situation and experience. Matching trauma-informed responses to the specific needs of each child is the care journey that every carer works with their Care Team to develop and hone over time. Never give up!

Possibly. The DCP Kinship Care Program, carer support agencies and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations may have capacity to deliver Caring for Children and Young People with Trauma training face-to-face one-on-one or in small groups. Contact your supporting agency to enquire.

In the first instance, reach out to your DCP kinship care worker or agency support worker. For CETC/Australian Childhood Foundation or DCP please contact:
• ACF: support@childhood.org.au
• DCP: DCPCarerPartnerships@sa.gov.au