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Rebuilding lives, restoring care: The silent toll on children
Contributed Content
Jan 23, 2026
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Following climate related disasters, children often experience heightened anxiety, difficulty concentrating, behavioural changes, challenges regulating emotions, and worries about their own and their family’s future. Stormbirds creates a safe space where children can process these experiences, understand their emotions, and develop strategies to manage worries, stress and change. Trauma responses can persist long after the immediate danger has passed. With the right support, however, educators see transformational change. “When we give the kids the right support, they fly,” one NSW school principal commented after the school had engaged with the Stormbirds program. Supporting emotional expression and shared experience
Teachers and educators delivering Stormbirds consistently report that the program helps children name and understand their feelings, recognise shared experiences, and develop practical coping strategies. Children also learn that they can cope with big emotions through practical steps like walking the dog, talking to family members or playing with siblings - simple, everyday strategies that significantly support wellbeing. A vital resource for Victorian communities now
Stormbirds National Lead, Brooke Nester, says recent disasters in Victoria have reinforced the importance of trauma informed, evidence-based support for children and young people; “Research shows that longer term, school based social and emotional learning programs significantly mitigate the mental health impacts of disaster exposure. “Stormbirds equips educators and communities with the knowledge, tools and confidence to support children as they process grief, loss and change. It also helps identify students who may require additional support, while strengthening communication within families and broader community networks,” added Ms. Nester.
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Early childhood education and care (ECEC) services are entrusted with one of the most important responsibilities, ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of children. Effective incident prevention and management practices are vital to meeting this responsibility, and are mandated under both federal legislation and the National Quality Framework (NQF).
