EMBRACE-ing a Second Wave of Trauma-Informed Research and Practice in Schools: An Embodied and Relational Approach

Abstract Trauma-informed education has gained significant traction in recent decades, yet prevailing models often adopt an individualised, decontextualised approach that fails to address the systemic and relational nature of trauma. This article calls for a “second wave” of trauma-informed research and practice in schools, underpinned by a relational and embodied ontology. It introduces the EMBRACE Framework (EMBodied and RelAtional trauma-informed practice within sChool Ecosystems), a model designed to guide the enactment of trauma-informed approaches at both the individual practice and whole-school levels. Informed by a state-of-the-art review, ongoing research and collaborative engagement, the framework adopts a compassion-centred and reflective approach, and emphasises systemic change within four domains of school life: policies and practices, culture and ethos, curriculum and pedagogy, and relationships and partnerships. Additionally, it highlights the need for equity-driven and rights-based perspectives to address the socio-cultural and political dimensions of trauma. EMBRACE offers a generative and flexible model to support future progressive work in trauma-informed education. Its distinctive value lies in how it synthesises and organises core elements into a coherent and unifying whole, rather than presenting them as stand-alone or parallel aspects of best practice. In doing so, the framework supports schools in cultivating the conditions for hope, healing, and meaningful systemic change, an endeavour that is more urgent than ever.