New Book Focuses on Understanding of Student Behaviour Through a Trauma-informed Lens

Safe to Learn is a new book by Rebecca Harris, one of Melbourne Social Equity Institute's inaugural Community Fellows.

Rebecca Harris sitting at small round table signing books.

Image: Rebecca Harris signing copies of Safe to Learn: Embedding Trauma-informed Student Wellbeing Practices at the book's launch in November.

Rebecca Harris is the Student and Family Wellbeing Coordinator at Carlton Primary School, a small school in Melbourne's inner north. She was among the first Community Fellows supported by the Melbourne Social Equity Institute, joining the program in 2016.

Rebecca had decided that she wanted to understand trauma-informed education more deeply, and contacted the Institute to see what opportunities might be available. Serendipitously, a pilot of the Community Fellows Program was about to be announced.

Rebecca’s project from the Community Fellows Program, a practice manual for her school titled ‘Trauma informed practice in education’ led to a digital resource that has been accessed by teachers and other professionals around Australia, and in 2020 she was approached by a publisher.

Officially launched on 3 November, Safe to Learn: Embedding Trauma-informed Student Wellbeing Practices provides readers an understanding of behaviour through the lens of trauma and adversity, and provides practical strategies for primary schools and educators to become trauma-informed and responsive in a way that best supports all students, regardless of their life experiences.

We are delighted that Rebecca credits the Community Fellows Program as being an important stepping stone to this new publication: "The program provides access for community workers to an elite educational facility, and in doing so, allows us to move from being the researched, to being the researchers. I am so grateful that participating in the Community Fellowship program has supported me to develop the writer and academic in me."

Safe to Learn: Embedding Trauma-informed Student Wellbeing is published by Amba Press. Visit Rebecca's website to learn more.