What We Don’t Know Really Will Hurt Us: Examining Trauma Awareness Knowledge, Strategies, and Training in Ireland’s Early Childhood Education and Care Profession

Abstract

Childhood trauma can exert a negative influence in the lives of young children. Yet, while Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) professionals are perfectly positioned to support children exposed to such trauma, extant research reports a scarcity of bespoke trauma awareness training for the ECEC profession. The aim of the current study served to explore the trauma awareness knowledge, strategies, and training of the ECEC profession in the Republic of Ireland. A comprehensive survey instrument, comprising 45 items across 5 Thematic Domains related to trauma knowledge and training, was disseminated to ECEC professionals nationwide. With a response rate of 1053 participants, key findings revealed (i) a fragmented understanding of what constitutes childhood trauma, and (ii) a significant association between lower levels of educational attainment and trauma education (Initial Practitioner Education, p = 0.000; Continuous Professional Development, p = 0.039). Further, 95% of participants called for context-specific, trauma awareness training, substantiating the voracious appetite for this crucial cog in the ECEC learning continuum, and thus reflecting the need for urgent reform to address and support the complexities of childhood trauma in ECEC discourse.