Abstract
There is research suggesting that children and adolescents have already been exposed to trauma in South Africa, due to the high prevalence of trauma in the country. Schools can be optimal places for learners to receive the necessary care after exposure to trauma, yet there seems to be insufficient studies on the ways in which schools are responding to trauma in a South African context. Furthermore, trauma-informed care may be a means for providing services to learners in South African schools and further research needed to be completed to indicate what schools are doing that may be trauma-informed and what help is necessary to help schools implement this approach if they so choose. Therefore, this study explored teachers’ experiences of trauma-informed care in a secondary school to address questions related to these concerns. The research methodology was set in an interpretivist paradigm using a generic qualitative research design. Participants were selected through non-probability purposive sampling. Eleven participants participated in online open-ended questionnaires and online semi-structured interviews. The data collected through these research methods was analysed using thematic analysis to present the themes and patterns that emerged from the data collection. Research demonstrated that teachers were able to recognise the signs of trauma in learners as well as the effects that trauma can have on learners. Teachers’ response to learners was to listen, guide, and talk to learners as well as to provide safe spaces for learners. Further intervention included referrals to the psychology department at the school and external community organisations involved in social services, mental health services, behavioural supports and rehabilitation. Trauma-informed practices included creating safe spaces, trustworthiness and transparency with teachers, mutual self-help through peer support as well as collaboration at different levels of the school system. Teachers expressed that further help was needed which included training, workshops and programmes relating to trauma-related care, for both teachers and learners support for teachers who respond to learners who have experienced trauma, including supports for secondary traumatic stress and compassion fatigue included in wellness programmes, EAPs and further supervision from specialists. The school also expressed a need for further psychological services at the school and information regarding external organisations.
M.Ed. (Educational Psychology)