The impact of climate change has been ever-present since the Black Saturday Fires. In response, the State of Victorian identified impacts and risks, including to Health and Wellbeing within education (State of Victoria Department of Education and Training, 2022). A statewide response resulted in the enactment of the Victorian Climate Action Act 2017, with one of the key policy objectives being building resilience through effective adaptation and disaster preparedness (Climate Change Act 2017, Vic.). In line with this, the Department of Education own strategic plan included: Resilience, mitigation & adaptation to climate change (State of Victoria, Department of Education, 2024).
A trauma informed model was required that balanced the continuity of learning, while acknowledging the psychosocial impact of the disaster or emergency events. The result was the Recovery and Resilience Model (RRM). This evidence-based framework has been designed to support and guide schools on their recovery journey, post natural disaster.
The RRM is underpinned by 8 Trauma informed principals, with a focus on three core elements (State of Victoria, Department of Education, 2025c), across three phases of recovery (State of Victoria, Department of Education, 2025d). The 3 core elements of resilience and recovery include:
• routine and safety
• health and wellbeing
• belonging and connectedness
While recognising that recovery after an emergency event is not necessarily a linear experience, there are typically 3 main phases of recovery:
• Phase 1: Relief and early recovery
• Phase 2: Medium term recovery
• Phase 3: Long term recovery.
In 2025, a key milestone in this work has been the rollout of Recovery Champions—highly skilled allied health professionals who deliver targeted training and support across the state, helping schools and staff engage effectively with the RRM resources (State of Victoria, Department of Education, 2025a).
The RRM aligns the school improvement architecture with recovery and resilience efforts, providing a structured pathway from reactive to proactive wellbeing in schools affected by cumulative trauma and natural disasters (State of Victoria, Department of Education, 2025b). This model not only supports recovery but also reinforces the critical role of school improvement measures in helping schools "spring back" and thrive following adversity.
Clorinda and Beth will be sharing insights into the development of this model and its application across the education system. A key aim of this presentation is to demonstrate how the RRM has been used in practice to support schools in building resilience, while acknowledging recovery.

Understand the core elements of the Recovery and Resilience Model.
Understanding the phases of recovery post disaster, within a school setting.
Understand how the RRM can be applied to promote psychosocial recovery through imbedded school improvement architecture.