Stephan Lund

Recognition that schools should be responsive to children who are impacted by adversity and trauma is burgeoning internationally. However, consensus regarding the necessary components of a trauma-informed school is lacking. This research developed expert-informed and internationally relevant best-practice trauma-informed principles for schools. A four-phase methodology included (i) identification of school-relevant trauma-informed practice programs, (ii) inductive thematic analysis of the main concepts underlying programs, (iii) phrasing of draft Principles and (iv) Principle revision and finalisation via a two-round Delphi survey with international experts. Excellent agreement by experts on the importance of all Principles was achieved (round 1 ≥ 86.4%, 2 ≥ 92.3%). The final ‘International Trauma-Informed Practice Principles for Schools’ (ITIPPS) include four Overarching (A–D) and 10 Practice Principles (1–10). Summarised, these include that the school: (A) is student focussed; (B) models compassion and generosity; (C) is understanding and responsive; (D) incorporates recognition of their First Nations peoples in the school’s ethos: (1) prioritises safety and wellbeing; (2) models positive relationships; (3) provides a positive culture and connects; (4) consults and collaborates; (5) supports vulnerable students; (6) teaches social and emotional learning; (7) provides trauma-informed practice training; (8) is predictable yet flexible; (9) identifies and nurtures strengths and (10) reflects, changes and grows. The ITIPPS provide clear guidance for education sectors, schools and other settings about appropriate learning environments for children and young people impacted by trauma. Research is now underway in Western Australian schools to pilot test the feasibility and impact of using the ITIPPS within a framework (thoughtfulschools.org.au) to establish trauma-informed schools.

BackgroundAustralian university students are at risk of experiencing poor mental health, being vulnerable to self-harm and suicidal ideation. Aim"Talk-to-Me" is a suicide ideation prevention Massive open online course (MOOC) previously showing it can support Western Australian university students' knowledge of identifying and responding to suicide ideation in themselves and others. MethodsA multi-site one-group pre-test/post-test design with a 12-week follow-up explored the efficacy of "Talk-to-Me" for university students Australia-wide, evaluating the influence of COVID-19 and location. Overall, 217 students (55% female; m(age) = 24.93 years [18, 60]) enrolled in this study from 2020 to 2021. Participants' responses to suicidal statements, mental health literacy, generalized self-efficacy, help-seeking behavior, and overall utility of the program were collected at baseline, post-MOOC (10 weeks from baseline) and 12-week follow-up. The effect of time and location interaction was explored using a random-effects regression model. ResultsFindings indicated significant improvement in participants' knowledge of positive mental health support strategies (ES = 0.42, p < 0.001) and recognizing appropriate responses to suicidal statements (ES = 0.37, p < 0.001) at 10-weeks, with further improvement at 12 weeks follow-up (ES = 0.47 and 0.46, p < 0.001). Students reported higher generalized self-efficacy at the 12-week follow-up compared to baseline (ES = 0.19, p = 0.03) and an increased tendency to seek professional help for mental health issues (ES = 0.22, p = 0.02). ConclusionThese findings provide preliminary evidence of the efficacy of the "Talk-to-Me" program in supporting left-to-right markuniversity students across Australia to increase their suicide-related knowledge and skills, left-to-right markgeneral self-efficacy, and overall mental fitness.

Introduction The role of primary caregivers in setting the foundation for a child’s oral health throughout life is well recognised. Due to the dominant behaviour-based approach, research to date has mainly focused on exploring individual primary caregivers’ oral health knowledge and behaviours. A social science approach involving social practice theories moves beyond individual attitudes, behaviour and choices to offer a better understanding of the ways in which collective activity relates to health. This qualitative metasynthesis will involve an interpretive synthesis of data found in published qualitative literature from developed countries. The aim of the metasynthesis is to identify social practices in families from published qualitative research with caregivers on preschool children’s oral health. Methods and analysis This is a protocol for qualitative metasynthesis. The following databases will be used: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Global Health and Dentistry & Oral Sciences Source (DOSS) using the web-based database search platform Ovid, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and Scopus. The research team has determined search strategies by using relevant key terms. Qualitative studies published in English language on family factors related to preschool children (aged 0–5 years) from developed countries (2022 United Nations classification) will be included. Qualitative data analysis will involve thematic analysis of the reported factors influencing oral health of preschool children, from the perspective of social practice theory. Researchers will use NVivo software for organising and managing the data. Ethics and dissemination No ethics approval is required, as this study does not involve human subjects. Findings will be disseminated through professional networks, conference presentations and submission to a peer-reviewed journal.

Background: The disproportionate burden of oral disease in Aboriginal children and the issues in accessing mainstream dental services are well documented. Yet little is known about dental professionals’ perspectives in providing oral care for Aboriginal children. This paper presents findings from a study exploring such perspectives.Methods: Semi‐structured interviews were carried out in Western Australia following purposive sampling of non‐Aboriginal dentists, dental clinic assistants (dental nurses) and oral health therapists/dental hygienists. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed guided by grounded theory for key themes related to the topic.Results: Findings included a service delivery model sometimes unresponsive to Aboriginal families’ needs; dental professionals’ limited education and training to work with confidence and cultural sensitivity with Aboriginal patients and socioeconomic influences on Aboriginal children’s poor oral health considered outside dental professionals’ remit of care.Discussion: Findings suggest oral health policies and practices and dental professionals’ education and training need reviewing for how well such policies support dental professionals in an Aboriginal context. This includes engaging with Aboriginal stakeholders, working effectively with Aboriginal families, and developing shared understandings about what is needed to increase access to care and improve oral health outcomes for Aboriginal children.

This article presents a brief scoping review of the literature on the educational outcomes of care experienced children and young people in Australia published since 2010. The review also examines key educational issues and the impact of being in care on the educational experience of children and young people. Twenty-five papers were selected for review, key information extracted and recurrent themes noted. Themes include stigma and low expectations, school disruption and absenteeism, issues within the care and education systems and the importance of good relationships with supportive adults. The review found that young people in care often experience much worse educational outcomes than their peers. Conclusions and recommendations include reforming the care and education systems, focussing workers on building strong supportive relationships with young people, helping them to build resilience and prioritising education. Further targeted research is also recommended.

Background: Developing robust evidence is a challenge for researchers working with disadvantaged or vulnerable populations. For example, research shows that young people who have transitioned from out-of-home care (OOHC) to independent adulthood often experience poor long-term outcomes. However, evidence for the aetiology of those outcomes is weak due to methodological limitations such as small sample sizes and a lack of longitudinal data. This paper details the protocol for Navigating Through Life, a study that utilises novel research methods to better understand the pathways and outcomes of young people as they leave OOHC in Western Australia (WA). Methods: Navigating Through Life is a longitudinal, mixed methods, population-based study. A prospective longitudinal study of young people aged 15–25 years will follow participants’ experiences and outcomes over a two-year period. Quantitative and qualitative data is being collected from participants five times over 2 years, using standardised outcome measures and individual interviews. Outcome measures focus on key dimensions of young people’s lives (e.g., social inclusion, well-being, resilience, self-determination). Interviews examine important influences and the variable contexts into which young people have transitioned from care. In addition, retrospective population-level data for young people transitioning from OOHC will be obtained from linked Western Australian government administrative records. Using a multitude of data sources, analysis will map pathways and outcomes of young people with care experience, and comparisons will be made with other population groups within WA. Discussion: Navigating Through Life exemplifies a novel utilisation of multiple data sources to research outcomes for vulnerable and difficult to reach populations, and offers insights for other complex mixed-methods longitudinal studies. Results will provide new and more comprehensive data about specific pathways that may be influential to a range of post-care outcomes. Findings will extend evidence to inform better service-delivery models that improve outcomes and reduce disparities for vulnerable young people.

This article discusses the outcomes of a research project undertaken in 2011/2013 by a team of researchers from Edith Cowan University (ECU) in collaboration with Wanslea Family Services. The project aimed to address the relative lack of voice of biological children in the fostering task, despite the increasing acknowledgement of children's rights and their capability to be involved in decision-making processes. Data was collected through the use of focus groups and interviews with a small number of biological children, foster carers and service providers in Western Australia (WA). The data indicated the necessity to reconsider the rights of biological children in the fostering task and the need for specific strategies to address these rights. The findings of the study informed the development of a set of interactive resources for supporting biological children of foster carers during all stages of the fostering process in Australia. The resources also have potential value for use in overseas jurisdictions.