Unit rationale, description and aim
The safety and wellbeing of children and young people are fundamental to effective teaching and learning. This unit introduces preservice teachers to essential wellbeing and child‑protection concepts that underpin safe and supportive school environments. They engage with the multiple factors that contribute to vulnerability, including disability, trauma, cultural contexts, family circumstances and socio‑educational disadvantage, and consider how these influence participation and engagement in schooling.
Drawing on contemporary research, legislation and national policy frameworks, preservice teachers develop introductory knowledge of mandatory reporting, early intervention and preventative approaches within school settings. The unit explores inclusive communication, transitions, and culturally responsive ways of working with families, colleagues and external agencies. Through case‑based learning, preservice teachers examine the complex contexts of First Nations learners, students with disability and students in out‑of‑home care and apply foundational principles to identify concerns and pathways for support.
The aim of this unit is to build preservice teachers’ foundational knowledge and skills in recognising wellbeing and safety concerns, understanding child‑protection responsibilities and communicating effectively with students, families and community partners.
Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Identify key wellbeing, safety and child‑protectio...
Learning Outcome 01
Describe how diverse vulnerabilities—including dis...
Learning Outcome 02
Explain inclusive, ethical and culturally responsi...
Learning Outcome 03
Apply foundational principles to analyse scenarios...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics will include:
- Introduction to wellbeing and inclusive practice for vulnerable students, including students with high needs
- Community and educator responses to violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disabilities
- Community and educator responses to First Nations students as a vulnerable community, including the impact of post-colonialism, reconciliation and disability
- Partnering with families, agencies and communities to deliver best practice
- Identifying and classifying vulnerabilities of students, risk situations and approaches to prevention
- Identifying and preventing abuse of vulnerable students with high needs
- Trauma-informed interventions, including supporting students in conflict situations and domestic violence
- Historical and contemporary issues in types of and quality of out of home care, including psychological and physical impacts during and post-school
- Historical and contemporary issues for First Nations children in out-of-home care, including kinship arrangements
- Risk and prevention, including prevention strategies, positive environments, and partnership with colleagues, parents/carers and community
- Risk and prevention, including protective behaviours, interventions for students with disabilities, and partnerships with agencies
- Partnerships to improve quality of life for vulnerable children and adolescents into post-school contexts
Assessment strategy and rationale
Assessment in this unit is designed to support preservice teachers in developing foundational capabilities in recognising wellbeing concerns, understanding child‑protection responsibilities and communicating effectively with families and community agencies. Task 1 introduces preservice teachers to analysing a scenario involving a vulnerable learner, identifying wellbeing and safety concerns and describing relevant legislative and policy responsibilities. Task 2 enables preservice teachers to design a communication artefact that explains a wellbeing or child‑protection strategy in clear, inclusive and culturally responsive language.
The two‑task sequence mirrors authentic practices of beginning teachers, including identifying early signs of concern, considering preventative and supportive strategies, and communicating clearly with stakeholders. Preservice teachers receive early feedback to support the development of evidence‑informed reasoning and effective professional communication. Ethical and appropriate use of generative AI is encouraged for idea generation, clarification and refinement, with explicit expectations that its use must be transparent, accurate and support student learning.
To pass this unit, preservice teachers must complete all assessment tasks and receive an overall passing grade.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1: Wellbeing and Safety Report A...
Assessment Task 1: Wellbeing and Safety Report
Analyse a scenario involving a vulnerable child or adolescent using recent academic literature. Prepare a report that identifies wellbeing and safety concerns, describes relevant legislation and policy, and proposes recommendations for appropriate school responsibilities and teacher actions as preventative strategies.
50%
Assessment Task 2: Communication Tool with Self-R...
Assessment Task 2: Communication Tool with Self-Reflection
Create a short communication artefact (e.g., infographic, video plan, audio message or written communication) explaining a wellbeing or child‑protection to parents/carers and other community members. Reflect on how (1) the program or strategy will safeguard specific vulnerable students, and (2) you have communicated in clear, respectful and culturally responsive ways.
50%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Teaching in this unit adopts a social constructivist approach in which preservice teachers build shared understanding through scaffolded exploration, structured discussion and guided reflection. Short online lectures introduce core wellbeing, transitions and child‑protection concepts, while tutorials provide opportunities to unpack school‑based case scenarios involving diverse learners. Through modelling, dialogue and collaborative problem‑solving, preservice teachers develop foundational skills in inclusive communication, ethical reasoning and decision‑making relevant to supporting vulnerable children and young people.
The unit design is accessible for diverse adult learners, including those with disability. Learning materials are provided in multiple formats, expectations are clear and explicit, and activities progress from recognition of wellbeing concerns to supported analysis and application. Role‑plays and communication simulations are offered with alternative participation options to ensure psychological safety while modelling the relational practices expected of beginning teachers.
Teaching strategies foreground respectful, strengths‑based and culturally responsive communication with students, families and agencies. These practices are modelled consistently throughout the unit to support preservice teachers in developing the dispositions and foundational professional behaviours required for safe, ethical and inclusive practice.
Australian Professional Standards for Teachers - Graduate Level
In connection to the learning outcomes, on successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should have developed the following industry specific knowledge based on the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers - Graduate Level standards:
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge and understanding of physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students and how these may affect learning.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO1, LO3
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge and understanding of strategies for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO1, LO4
Relating toIdentify strategies to support inclusive student participation and engagement in classroom activities.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO3
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge of practical approaches to manage challenging behaviour.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO2
Relating toDescribe strategies that support students’ wellbeing and safety working within school and/or system, curriculum and legislative requirements.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO2, LO3
Relating toUnderstand and apply the key principles described in codes of ethics and conduct for the teaching profession.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO1, LO4
Relating toUnderstand strategies for working effectively, sensitively and confidentially with parents/carers.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO3
Relating toUnderstand the role of external professionals and community representatives in broadening teachers’ professional knowledge and practice.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO4
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) Core Content
On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should have developed the following industry specific knowledge based on the AITSL Core Content:
Relating toHow to plan and implement practices that create a predictable and safe environment for students by reducing variance in classroom environment – for example, classroom arrangement, consistent location of prompts, consistent use of space, visible rules, and routines.
Relevant learningLO1
Relating toThe research evidence that shows the positive impact of engaging with communities and families to drive successful outcomes for First Nations students and teach what appropriate engagement with families and communities can look like in practice.
Relevant learningLO2, LO3
Relating toThe concept of positionality through engagement in critical self-inquiry for both academic writing and as a core mechanism of effective ongoing professional teaching practice.
Relevant learningLO3, LO4
Relating toPractices schools may employ, including two-way positive communication, light-touch learning updates and collaborative planning and problem solving, and understanding the role and responsibility of an individual teacher in these practices.
Relevant learningLO4
Relating toThe legislation, regulations, policies and obligations related to inclusion and support including international agreements (e.g. the UN Convention on Children’s Rights, 1989), and legal entitlements as defined by the Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and core educational policy such as the Disability Standards for Education, 2005, which state that students with disability should have the same opportunities and choices in their education as students without disability.
Relevant learningLO2
Relating toThe evidence-based approaches to cater for specific needs and disabilities that a teacher may encounter during their career, with a focus on needs with high prevalence in Australian classrooms. Content should be developed in collaboration with appropriate subject matter expertise from a range of disciplines – for example, linguistics, psychology, health, and education.
Relevant learningLO1, LO4