Trauma Informed Support

Trauma is the lasting effect of experiences that overwhelm a person's ability to cope and leave them feeling unsafe, powerless or deeply afraid. This lesson explains that trauma is about the impact on the person, not only the event, and describes different kinds of trauma: single incident trauma, complex trauma from repeated harm, developmental trauma in childhood, and intergenerational and collective trauma. Key points: trauma is common, people respond to similar events very differently, and you will often not know a person's history, so a trauma informed approach is used with everyone.

Trauma changes how the brain and body respond to threat. This lesson explains survival responses, often called fight, flight, freeze and fawn, how the brain can stay on high alert long after danger has passed, and the idea of a window of tolerance, the zone where a person can think, feel and cope. Key points: survival responses are automatic, not deliberate choices; a person may be pushed out of their window of tolerance by small reminders; and behaviour that seems out of proportion often makes sense when seen as a response to past danger.

People with disability experience higher rates of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation than people without disability, as the Disability Royal Commission highlighted. Many have also had frightening or disempowering experiences in services, hospitals and institutions. This lesson explains why the risk is higher, how trauma can be missed or mislabelled as part of a person's disability, and how the way services are delivered can re traumatise people. Key points: look beyond the diagnosis, consider trauma when behaviour changes, and avoid practices that take away control.

Trauma informed support is guided by a set of core principles recognised by Australian organisations such as the Blue Knot Foundation: safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration and empowerment, along with respect for diversity. This lesson describes each principle and the shift from asking what is wrong with you to asking what happened to you. Key points: trauma informed support is about how we provide support as well as what we provide, it is used with everyone, and it aligns closely with the NDIS Code of Conduct and person centred practice.

Feeling safe is the foundation for everything else. This lesson covers practical ways to build physical and emotional safety, such as a calm environment, predictable routines, explaining what you are doing and respecting personal space. It also covers building trust by being reliable, honest and consistent, keeping your word, and being clear about your role and what you can and cannot do. Key points: safety is defined by the person, small actions build trust over time, broken promises can damage trust quickly, and consistency across the team matters.

Trauma often involves a loss of power and control. Trauma informed support gives power back wherever possible. This lesson covers how to offer meaningful choices, including for people with limited communication, how to work alongside people rather than doing things to them, how to support decision making, and how to build on strengths. Key points: offer real choices every day, respect the answer, use the person's communication methods, share power in planning, and notice and name strengths and progress.

A trigger is a reminder of past trauma that sets off a survival response. Triggers can be sights, sounds, smells, types of touch, places, times of year or ways of being spoken to. This lesson covers common triggers in disability and aged care support, the early signs that a person is moving out of their window of tolerance, and how to learn and record a person's triggers with them. Key points: triggers are personal and may not be obvious, early signs give you a chance to help, and known triggers and helpful strategies should be in the person's plan.

When a person is triggered, your calm response can help them return to their window of tolerance. This lesson covers how to regulate yourself first, reduce threat in the environment, use a calm voice and few words, and offer grounding strategies that help a person reconnect with the present, such as noticing what they can see and hear, holding a comforting object or slow breathing. Key points: stay calm, give space and choice, do not argue or demand, use strategies in the person's plan, keep everyone safe and never use a restrictive practice unless it is authorised.

Personal care involves closeness, touch and vulnerability, which can be especially hard for people who have experienced trauma, particularly sexual or physical abuse. This lesson covers how to provide personal care in a trauma informed way: explain before you act, ask for consent at each step, offer choice of worker gender where possible, maximise privacy and independence, and stop if the person is distressed. It also covers trauma informed approaches to night time, health appointments and changes. Key points: consent is ongoing, privacy matters, and the person sets the pace.

Trauma is shaped by culture and history. This lesson explains collective and intergenerational trauma, including the ongoing effects of colonisation and the Stolen Generations on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and the experiences of refugees and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. It also recognises trauma from discrimination experienced by LGBTIQA+ people. Key points: respect culture and identity, be aware that services and institutions may be linked with past harm, involve family and community as the person wishes, use interpreters, and seek cultural guidance.

A participant may tell you about past or current harm. How you respond matters. This lesson covers how to respond to a disclosure in a trauma informed way: listen, believe, reassure, do not investigate, keep the person safe and report. It also covers your obligations under the NDIS Code of Conduct and our incident management policy, including reportable incidents such as abuse, neglect and unauthorised restrictive practices. Key points: call 000 in an emergency, tell your team leader straight away, record the person's own words, preserve evidence and never promise to keep a secret.

Supporting people who have experienced trauma can affect workers too. This lesson explains vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue and burnout, the warning signs, and practical ways to look after yourself, including debriefing, supervision, our Employee Assistance Program and healthy boundaries. Key points: these reactions are normal, noticing them early matters, you are not expected to cope alone, and caring for yourself helps you keep providing safe support. The lesson ends with a reminder that this course builds knowledge only and must be used alongside each participant's plans and person specific training.