‘Someone you can run to’: teachers at the coalface of complex trauma

Abstract

Recently, safeguarding children in early childhood has received widespread media coverage. This has shone a light on the critical work of early years teachers in supporting the learning, care and safety of young children. However, there has been limited exploration into what early years teachers actually do at the coalface to identify and support children with high levels of complex trauma. Drawing from a research project that examined early years teacher self-efficacy beliefs, this paper provides an analysis of the specific practices and beliefs of three early years teachers working in a complex, integrated early years site, in a disadvantaged community in Australia with a high number of children with complex trauma. Analysing segments of interview data collected over a 10-month period, findings revealed what the participants considered to be successful or challenging within their practice whilst working within a community shaped by complex trauma. This paper provides a hopeful account of the work of early years teachers and the role their teacher self-efficacy beliefs play in supporting children with complex trauma.