ReLATE
Reframing Learning and Teaching Environments (ReLATE) is an evidence-based, whole-school wellbeing model that empowers educators to strengthen relationships, enhance student engagement, and prioritise wellbeing for all.
Supporting Wellbeing in Schools
Many of our schools are experiencing rising staff stress, burnout, sickness and shortages - alongside increasing student mental health challenges. While research is growing, few approaches are making a real difference in our schools.
What Works?
Schools that put the wellbeing of staff and students at the heart of everything they do see better outcomes for everyone. Professional learning outcomes can help, but often once-off and off-the-shelf training only has temporary impact. Lasting change requires a whole of school response and commitment.
What is ReLATE?
ReLATE is a whole-school education model developed by MacKillop in our own schools. Developed and refined over a decade by our educators, psychologists, social workers and clinicians, it draws on psychology, neuroscience, education, and behavioural theory to help schools build safe, structured, and supportive environments.
ReLATE gives staff the tools and shared practices to respond to stress and trauma, strengthen relationships, and support wellbeing—for both students and adults.
Why MacKillop?
With over 170 years of experience supporting children, families and communities, MacKillop draws on the experience and knowledge of our 2,300 staff to develop our approaches. Today, we’ve partnered with over 60+ schools across Australia from every sector including primary and secondary to improve wellbeing, relationships, and learning outcomes.
ReLATE delivers measurable improvements in staff wellbeing, confidence, and school culture. Analysis of 3,018 educators who have engaged in the model across 60+ schools, has led to a 50% increase in educators experiencing lower burnout, a 75% rise in those reporting high compassion satisfaction, and a 1,295% increase in staff who feel confident practising trauma-informed care. These results show that ReLATE not only reduces stress and burnout, but also builds safer, more supportive, and sustainable school environments for everyone.
Empowering Schools
ReLATE supports a school to strength four evidence-based key concepts that are the foundations of our model:
Safety for all
An environment that actively counters stress
Apply effective teaching and learning strategies
Embed shared responsibility for sustainable whole-school culture
Are you in WA or SA?
ReLATE is on the Western Australian Department of Education Professional Learning Menu and in South Australia is on the Early Years Boost Menu.
ReLATE in Action
Hear how one school, Emmaus Catholic Primary School, Mount Clear, Victoria implemented the model.
ReLATE is about walking the journey with you, building on your school's strengths, unique context and goals. Our team of experienced education leaders work with you to learn about your community, build relationships and understand your needs.
Working with you in your school, we gather data, determine your needs and co-design a plan.
We provide whole-school professional learning that is tailored to you. Rather than one-size-fits-all approach we ensure the learning days are specific to your staff and student needs while remaining embedded in the evidence-base and research.
Through in-school support we guide the development of staff knowledge, understanding, routines, strategies and practice.
Staff are provided a suite of tools and resources to support implementation.
Program Outcomes
Empowers schools to create safe, supportive and predictable environments for enhanced teaching, learning and wellbeing.
Strengthens staff understanding of how adverse childhood experiences and complex trauma can impact behaviours, attitude and learning.
Enhances whole school culture and teacher attitudes, including teacher perspectives and responses to student behaviour and disengagement.
Our ReLATE Partner Schools & Systems
We have partnered with schools and education systems across Australia to support whole-of-school cultures that build safety, positive relationships, and engagement, promoting wellbeing and positive mental health for staff and students.
Below are just some of the schools and systems we walk alongside each day.
Frequently asked questions
Through ReLATE, schools can expect to see happier, more connected and engaged students, staff and school communities, as is measured throughout implementation. Schools and systems can expect a shift in their culture and attitudes as well as strengthened responses from teachers to student behaviour - all of which create the pre-conditions for improved learning and wellbeing outcomes.
We take the time to get to know you and your community
We work hard to ensure that we understand your needs and the unique strengths and challenges within your school community. During the three annual Discovery Day sessions we meet with members of your school community including leadership, staff, parents and students (where appropriate) to gather data and explore 'where your community is at' and refresh your strategic objectives and find out 'where you want to be'.
We provide you with bespoke Discovery and Insights Reports, drawing out your school or system's unique characteristics and informing an implementation approach that is designed to drive the desired change.
We work with you to gather and explore:
- existing knowledge and beliefs about trauma and trauma-informed practices
- opportunities and barriers to improving safety and wellbeing
- baseline data, unpacking the story behind this data.
We provide direct and ongoing support for implementation
With ongoing support from our skilled consultants, each school or system will establish a School Implementation Taskforce (SIT). The SIT represents an integral group of staff who will lead implementation. They are supported by clear guidelines, detailing each of the key tasks needed to create a lasting change in schools. Through this process your school or system will be supported to:
- implement planning days
- use data to inform thinking
- examine values, beliefs and assumptions
- contextualise resources for your community
Our consultants are available to provide advice and support and check in with SIT members outside of the formal learning sessions, answering questions and providing further guidance to address challenges and explore new goals.
Our expertise doesn't just come from theory, it comes from experience
Our frontline connection to the education sector ensures our programs are effective and practical. ReLATE was developed in Australia by MacKillop Family Services, drawing on the practice model implemented in our MacKillop Education schools. MacKillop Education provides a safe and supportive school environment that caters for young people who are disengaged in education.
Drawing together a robust body of research, the ReLATE model has four foundational concepts:
Safety: ReLATE recognises safety as an essential pre-condition for quality teaching and learning.
A counter-stress school environment: ReLATE fosters wellbeing by actively counteracting stress, through trauma-informed policies and practices that promote communication and self-regulation.
Enhanced teaching and learning: ReLATE is guided by neuroscience to enhance teaching and learning and encourage staff to use repeated, supportive actions.
Sustainable whole school culture change: ReLATE aims to create whole of school culture change through teaching about resilience, adversity, trauma and collective efficacy.
Education professionals will have access to four full days of professional learning, run by our highly skilled consultants. Staff will also be equipped with practical tools to implement in the classroom, including:
- Self-regulation plans to de-escalate challenging behaviours for both students and staff
- Traffic light identification enabling your staff to discuss critical incidents proactively, with a degree of urgency and in priority order
- Debriefing and communication strategies, giving staff a process to mitigate abusive behaviours or mistreatment.
ReLATE walks leaders through cultural change processes, supporting them to translate knowledge into meaningful action. Through the implementation cycle, our consultants support school leaders with school level data, building transferable capabilities to answer to critical questions, such as:
- Are we truly making a difference in the teaching, learning and wellbeing domains?
- How do we know?
- What is the evidence of meaningful impact?
ReLATE supports schools to reduce behavioural incidents, shifting the focus from reactive to aspirational. Calm environments translate to improved wellbeing for students and staff and free time to focus on new areas for growth and improvement. Through ReLATE, your school or system will become trauma aware and best positioned to meet the diverse needs of your community.
"Since participating in the ReLATE model, there has been far less reactivity with incidents and more tolerance, modifying our expectations of all children and families to align to their needs."
Pilot school teacher
ReLATE in Action at MacKillop Education
ReLATE: Reframing Learning and Teaching Environments, was developed in Australia by MacKillop Family Services, drawing on the practice model implemented in our schools (MacKillop Education). MacKillop Education provides a safe and supportive school environment that caters for children and young people who are disengaged, or at risk of disengaging, from education.
Featured in The Educator - Australia
'Overcoming Emotional Overload: The Program Tackling Trauma in the Classroom'
By Brett Henebery – 19 March 2024 This Educator Australia article highlights how the ReLATE program, delivered by the MacKillop Institute, is addressing stress, trauma, staff and student wellbeing in schools and helping schools build environments where effective teaching and learning can flourish.
View more
Stories of impact
"ReLATE is relevant to all educational professionals. Staff wellbeing is not focused on enough and we can't help students if we are burnt out. ReLATE helps revisit all concepts important in making the best wellbeing choices for all members of a school."
Participating Teacher
Our people
Chris Higgins
National Programs Director, Development and Innovation
Justin Roberts
ReLATE National Program Director
Esther Cini
Program Coordinator
Kristy Elliott
Education Consultant
Craig Reid
Education Consultant
Yvonne Lindros
ReLATE Consultant and Practice Specialist