Abstract
This study explored educators’ understanding of trauma-informed care (TIC) within South African township high schools, focusing on Soshanguve. The research was guided by Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, which provided a systemic framework for examining how trauma awareness and care practices are shaped by interactions across classroom, school, community, and policy levels.
A qualitative design was employed, using semi-structured interviews with fifteen educators drawn from three township schools. Data were analysed thematically to capture participants’ lived experiences, perspectives and practices related to trauma and learner support.
Findings revealed six interconnected themes: (1) educators’ understanding of trauma and its effects; (2) awareness and knowledge of trauma-informed care; (3) classroom applications of TIC; (4) systemic and institutional barriers; (5) cultural and contextual influences, including Ubuntu; and (6) evolving perspectives and professional growth. Teachers demonstrated strong empathy and moral commitment but limited formal training, operating within environments marked by poverty, violence and resource scarcity.
The study concludes that while educators intuitively practise trauma-informed principles through care and relational sensitivity, the absence of structured policy, professional support, and counselling resources undermines sustainable implementation. Embedding TIC in South African education requires systemic alignment from initial teacher preparation and school leadership development to Departmental policy reform grounded in the local ethic of Ubuntu.
From my experience as both educator and researcher, the study affirms that trauma-informed care is not solely a pedagogical strategy but a moral orientation rooted in compassion, reflection and human connection. The findings call for a shift from reactive intervention to proactive, community-based healing approaches in education.