In this month’s practitioner newsletter, you’ll read about:

• • supporting children through experiences of bullying

  • ways to support families during and immediately after disasters

  • how early education and mental health professionals can collaborate to support trauma-impacted children

  • social and emotional wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families

  • on-demand webinars for your professional development

  • the latest highlights in child mental health research.

Supporting children experiencing or engaging in bullying behaviour

Held from 17 to 21 August 2026, Bullying No Way Week is a national week of action focused on bullying prevention. While this initiative focuses on action within schools, practitioners working in a range of settings can provide essential support to children experiencing or engaging in bullying behaviour.

Emerging Minds’ Bullying learning pathway is designed to strengthen understanding of the impacts of bullying on children’s mental health. It includes two free online courses that aim to equip practitioners with knowledge and practice strategies to support children.

New online course: Supporting infants, children and families during disaster response

During a disaster response, workers and volunteers are understandably focused on ensuring physical safety, but supporting mental health is also critical – particularly when considering the needs of infants and children.

To help workers meet these needs, Emerging Minds has developed a new online course, Supporting infants, children and families during disaster response. Designed for organisations, services, volunteers and other workers involved in disaster response, this free course aims to provide a foundational understanding of how disasters impact children and how they may respond at different ages and developmental stages. It also offers guidance on using tools such as psychological first aid and tailoring support to children’s specific needs.

If you are working or volunteering on the front line of disasters, this short course will provide you with the foundational skills and knowledge you need to support families through evacuation and reunification.

New short article: Promoting collaboration between early education and mental health professionals to support trauma-impacted children

This article outlines ways early childhood education and care (ECEC) and mental health professionals can build effective partnerships to support the mental health of children who have experienced trauma. It describes the critical role of ECEC educators and the key ingredients to cross-sector collaboration.

Podcast catch-up: Practitioner narratives about supporting social and emotional wellbeing for children and families

In this recent podcast episode, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders and practitioners share their reflections on what supports strong social and emotional wellbeing for children and families. Through stories, insights and practice wisdom, they explore the healing and protective factors that strengthen connection, resilience and wellbeing within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities.

New on-demand webinar series – watch any time!

The latest on-demand webinars from Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) are now open for registration. This series allows you to catch up on popular webinars you might have missed over the past two years.

Co-produced by Emerging Minds, the five upcoming webinars address topics such as:

• financial and housing insecurity, isolation and discrimination

• understanding and responding to suicidal ideation

• trauma prevention and early intervention

• centring children in work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families

• identifying and responding to child sexual abuse.

Created to fit in your busy schedule, each webinar is available for three weeks and can be accessed at any time during this period.

Research highlights: June 2026 

The latest highlights in mental health research include:

• Factors associated with resilience among parents of autistic children

• The effects of social media on adolescent mental health

• The relationship between internet addiction and mental health conditions in children and young people

• The effectiveness of bullying prevention-associated interventions among children and adolescents