Education webinars and training
Presentation 1: Understanding the Impact of Adversity and Trauma on Behaviour in Schools
In this webinar, Michelle discusses the neurodevelopmental impacts of significant adversity or trauma on children’s development and engagement, and will help you develop a better understanding of the impact on student behaviour.
Presentation 2: Strategies To Support Students Who Have Experienced Adversity and Trauma
In this webinar, Michelle returns to explore evidence based strategies that we can use to support children and young people at school, who have experienced significant adversity and/or trauma, help them to break down the barriers, and engage in learning.
Presentation 3: Making the most of education plans to advocate for children and young people in education
In this webinar, Michelle talks about making the most of education plans to advocate for children and young people in education. Children in Out of Home Care have a right to an education plan that genuinely removes barriers to doing well at school.
During this presentation, Michelle will unpack what education support plans are and how you can use them to support children and young people in their education.
Presentation 3 Q & A: Making the most of education plans to advocate for children and young people in education.
This is a recording of the Q & A session focused on education plans, complementing the webinar on education plans listed above.
Presentation 4: Educating our 3-5-year olds
In this presentation, Michelle Murray provides a snapshot of developmental milestones for 3 to 5-year-olds and information about the disruptions that may occur for our children and young people, such as trauma and attachment disruption.
She also suggests strategies on how we can use everyday interactions and play to support children’s development and highlights the importance of embedding cultural perspectives in the early years.
Presentation 5: Developing education and training pathways as part of Leaving Care Plans
In this presentation, the Learning Without Barriers Team are joined by panel members Dr. Joseph McDowall (CREATE Foundation) and Carly Perrett (Life Without Barriers Youth Advocacy Program), as they discuss the education and training component of Leaving Care Plans.
This panel discussion acknowledges that on average, education outcomes for young people leaving care are well below their peers and highlights some important aspects of education and training pathway planning that must be prioritised during this important transition.
Presentation 6: School Reports: What do they tell us and how can we use them.
In this presentation, Michelle talks about school reports and how they can provide us with much more than just the academic achievement levels of children and young people. They guide us with useful information that we can use to make sure the child or young person is best supported in their education journey.
Presentation 7: How to support the cultural identity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students.
In this presentation, Clea North speaks to the importance of ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people experience culturally responsive education to achieve their learning potential. The presentation focusses on the view of the cultural identity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia and offer challenge to these biases. The presentation speaks to the power of individually creating change by making a commitment to continually develop practice to be culturally responsive.
Presentation 8: Strategies to build the cultural capacity of your school.
In this presentation, Clea North discusses the cultural capacity of a schools, highlighting the maximum way that Aboriginal and Torres Strait culture can be present in the wider school community and in the learning culture is by being culturally responsive.
Presentation 9: Back to school.
In this presentation, Clea North and Megan Hall discuss what is going on for our children and young people when they return to school for a new school year. This presentation also suggest strategies to support student attendance and engagement in learning.
Presentation 10: Education data including making the most of education plans to advocate for students.
In this presentation, Michelle Murray and Megan Hall speak on the importance of capturing accurate and timely education data to support the learning progression of our children and young people. This presentation also touches on the importance of each child and young person in our care having an up-to-date Individual Education Plan that is meaningful and reflective of them as learners.
Presentation 11: Education Transitions: Early Years Transitions.
In this presentation, Megan Hall speaks about the importance of supporting considered education transitions in the early years. Transitions in the early years include from home, to early learning and care, into kindy or preschool, and to formal school.
Presentation 12: Education Transitions: Primary to High School.
In this presentation, Michelle Murray speaks about the importance of supporting considered education transitions between primary to high school.
Presentation 13: Education Transitions: Leaving School.
In this presentation, Helen Halse speaks about the importance of supporting considered education transitions beyond the school gate, leaving school. Transitions post-school include further education, training, or employment.
Presentation 14: Using Education Plans to advocate for children and young people in education.
Children in Out of Home Care have a right to an education plan that genuinely removes barriers to doing well at school. In this presentation, Michelle Murray unpacks what education support plans are and how you can use them to support children and young people in their education.
Presentation 15: Early Years Education and Care.
The research shows that the first five years last a lifetime. When children are encouraged to talk, read, sing, and play every day, these positive interactions help build a strong foundation that sets them up for educative success and a lifelong love of learning.
In this webinar, the Learning Without Barriers team focus on learning and development in the early years, and school readiness.
Presentation 16: School refusal.
Sometimes the idea of going to school can be a cause for severe distress for a child or young person and can result in a reluctance to go to school and an increase in nonattendance. High levels of distress and a reluctance to go to school is known as school refusal.
School refusal is different from truancy. School refusal can negatively impact a child or young persons’ learning and development. It can affect friendships as well as social standing due to missed opportunities to connect with friends and other students.
The longer the issue persists, the more difficult it can be for the child young person to get back into the routine of going to school, so it’s important to respond early.
In this webinar, the Learning Without Barriers team are joined by Dr. Glen Melvin. Dr Melvin is an Associate Professor & clinical and counselling psychologist from the School of Psychology, Deakin University in Melbourne. Glenn completed his PhD in the treatment of adolescent depressive disorder and has since conducted research into novel treatments for youth depression.
Presentation 17: Let’s talk about suspension.
Consistent school attendance is important in any child’s education, but for many children in out-of-home care, going to school every day is no easy thing. Unfortunately, children in out-of-home care face myriad challenges when it comes to attending school every day.
The average number of days absent per term is double for students in care: seven days versus 3.4 days for students not in care. Suspensions also mean students miss out on school. In some parts of Australia, data suggests the proportion of student sin care who were suspended is almost four times higher (23% versus 6% across all students).
In this webinar, the Learning Without Barriers team will talk about suspension and the policies and legislations that direct the practice is schools. The team will also share case studies and examples of student suspensions and strategies to employ early before the disciplinary action occurs, and advocacy techniques for during and post suspensions.
Presentation 18: First Nations' Perspectives in Education.
In this webinar, the Learning Without Barriers team, led by Clea North, centres the conversation on the basics of ‘why’ it is important to talk about First Nations' perspectives in school, cultural inclusion, and cultural safety.
Presentation 19: Hook into Books™.
We know that the benefits of reading, listening, and telling stories to children of any age are endless and evidenced widely. Instilling a love of reading supports a child’s vocabulary, independence, and self-confidence. It helps children learn to make sense not only of the world around them but also about people, their social-emotional skills and of course, their imagination. But not all kids love to read, however with the right supports this can change.
In this webinar the Learning Without Barriers team are joined by 3 wonderful author/illustrators: Aunty Fay Muir, Charmaine Ledden-Lewis, and Kate Foster, to chat about how we can create conditions that support the literacy of children and young people.
Presentation 20: Building your confidence to support children with ADHD, ASD, and ID.
In this webinar, Cat Lancaster, Director of Disability and Mental Health Centre for Practice Excellence at Life Without Barriers, talks broadly about neurodiversity which encompasses Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Intellectual Disability (ID), all of which affect a significant number of the children we care for and support. The session shares insights into the neurodivergent mind and provides tips to build your confidence looking after and supporting these children to grow and thrive.
Education-focused care presented by Dr. Iain Matheson
Presented by Dr Iain Matheson and drawing on Australian and international examples, these webinars explore the idea of education-focused out-of-home care and what Life Without Barriers and its staff and carers can do to champion and better promote and support education.
- Education-focused foster care:
- Education-focused residential care:
- Education-focused transitioning from care:
Advocacy always links back to policy - State/Territory Education policy and how to use it!
In these presentations, Michelle Murray talks about the key education policies in Australia and how you can use them to advocate for children and young people in education settings.
The slides and links provide a reference point to return to if you need more information.
Western Australia: WA Policy April 2023 Queensland: QLD Policy April 2023 New South Wales: NSW Policy 2023
See more events from the team at Learning Without Barriers at the Foster Care Events Page.
Reach out to the team at Learning Without Barriers for more information.