For Schools and Early Childhood Communities

Below are a collection of publications developed by the Department to assist staff and managers in providing support and calming the bushfire related fears of infants, children and adolescents.

Curriculum resources

• Fire Awareness for Children - Student Workbook (Prep-Grade 2) (PDF - 610Kb)
• Fire Awareness for Children - Student Workbook (Grade 6) (PDF - 622Kb)
• Fire Awareness for Children Prep - Grade 6 (PDF - 2.1Mb)
• Teenagers in Emergencies (PDF - 4.7Mb)
• Teenagers in Emergencies - Teacher Information Sheet (PDF - 35Kb)
• Red Cross Resources
• CFA Resources

Information for school and early childhood centre staff

• Supporting Recovery for Children and Young People: for early childhood professionals, school staff and Student Support Services Officers - includes information about accessing support from allied health professionals, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, GPs and Community Health Centres.
  • brochure (PDF - 282Kb)
  • extended version (PDF - 91Kb)
• Supporting Recovery for Young People (PDF - 88Kb) - for adolescents
• A Little Ray of Sunshine (PDF - 168Kb) - suggestions for supporting children with special needs
• Dealing with Grief and Loss (PDF - 1.2Mb) - for children with special needs
• Dealing with Grief and Loss (PDF - 533Kb) - for adolescents
• Helping Children after a Bushfire – Teacher Booklet (PDF - 177Kb) – to assist teachers in addressing bushfire related issues with students
• Helping Children after a Bushfire – Children’s Workbook (PDF - 142Kb) – for those working with individual children to guide exploration of fire related fears and anxieties
• Suggested Activities to Promote Healing after a Bushfire (PDF - 28Kb) – provides suggestions and activities for school staff, early childhood staff and student support services officers to help promote healing following a bushfire

The following resources have been developed by external agencies.

• Children and Crisis factsheet
• Teenagers and Crisis factsheet
• Family and Crisis factsheet
• Grief and Children factsheet
• Australian Child and Adolescent Trauma, Loss and Grief Network

Information for principals and early childhood directors

• Helping Children and Adolescents after a Bushfire (PDF - 32Kb) - provides advice and suggestions for principals, schools and early childhood services for crisis response and recovery planning
• Statewide Bushfire Disaster – School Emergency Response and Recovery Plan (PDF - 28Kb) – provides principals, assistant principals and leading teachers with immediate, medium, and long-term steps for response and recovery following the bushfire disaster
• Response and Recovery for Schools (PDF - 29Kb) – provides suggestions to assist with planning for response and recovery
• Crisis Management Manual (PDF - 101Kb) – a practical guide to assist the recovery of school and early childhood communities.

Below is a video on how schools and kindergartens can provide support to help calm children’s fears and concerns about bushfires. Presented by: Vicki Trethowan, Manager, Bushfire Psychosocial Response/Recovery, Student Wellbeing Division, DEECD.

More information

For more information on supporting children see:

• Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 - a free, confidential and anonymous, telephone and online counselling service specifically for young people aged between 5 and 25
• Kids Life
• Behaviour and Wellbeing
• Early Childhood Australia