Almost 1,800 children in two regional Queensland primary schools, communities with high levels of disadvantage and limited access to mental health services, were reached through the project.

Many children are exposed to adversity and frightening or potentially traumatic events while growing up. This could include poverty, family violence, abuse, neglect, serious accidents or the loss of a loved one. These experiences, known as childhood trauma, can affect the way children feel, behave, learn and get along with others. Children who appear disruptive or defiant, may in fact, be grieving or feeling unsafe. Children living in areas with limited access to mental health supports, such as regional centres, face a higher risk. Schools are one place where the needs of such children can be identified and supported.

“Schools are where children spend most of their day. If we can make every classroom a place that understand how trauma affects children, we can reach children who would otherwise never receive help,” Associate Professor Krishnamoorthy said.

With funding from Australian Rotary Health, Associate Professor Krishnamoorthy and the research team evaluated the Trauma-Informed Behaviour Support (TIBS) program across two regional Queensland primary schools attended by almost 1,800 children. One school received the TIBS program while the other continued with its usual student supports, so that outcomes could be compared. TIBS helps children at three levels. First, all teachers and school leaders learned how trauma affects children and how to respond with understanding and encouragement rather than just punishment or exclusion. Second, children showing early signs of difficulties took part in small group programs that build skills for understanding and managing feelings, calming their bodies and communicating with others. Third, children with the greatest needs received one-on-one sessions with supervised psychologists in training, while their teachers received personal coaching from an experienced psychologist.

The program was successfully delivered from start to finish. All teacher training was completed, group and individual programs were run, and information was gathered on children’s attendance, behaviour, learning and emotional wellbeing. School staff found the program practical and helpful, and early results are promising. Over the course of the trial, referrals for problem behaviours at the school using TIBS roughly halved, and teachers reported significant gains in confidence in their work with students. One study from the project has now been published, three more are under review, and further papers are on the way, with full results expected in early 2027.

The project is already helping schools and children beyond the trial. It has produced university-school partnerships aimed at universal screening of children’s mental health and functioning. The team has developed a dashboard that uses the school’s routine information and wellbeing check-ins to spot children needing support early and direct help to where it is most needed. The project’s findings have also shaped a new training program that helps educators and school-based health professionals make fairer decisions about which students receive support.

The project is also growing the regional mental health workforce: four Honours students have completed degrees using project data, two PhD students are building on the findings – including a planned larger trial of TIBS across regional schools – and a new School Wellbeing Program places postgraduate psychology students in schools to deliver TIBS as part of their placements. The work has also led to further funded projects with the Queensland Department of Education supporting the learning and wellbeing of underserved children.

“The research funding has helped us reach children the system may otherwise have forgotten. This investment in prevention and early intervention has helped us learn about what makes a difference for children and the teachers who work with them every day – while building the next generation of psychologists in schools. None of it would have been possible without Australian Rotary Health.”

Media contact: [email protected]       First published 10th September 2026

Graphic acknowledgement: Freepik.com