Safeguarding children in early childhood has received widespread media coverage recently, highlighting the critical work of early years teachers in supporting the learning, care and safety of young children. This article describes research exploring what early years teachers do at the coalface to identify and support children with high levels of complex trauma. It analyses the specific practices and beliefs of three early years teachers working in a complex, integrated early years site, in a disadvantaged community in Australia with a high number of children with complex trauma. 

Findings revealed what the participants considered to be successful or challenging within their practice while working within a community shaped by complex trauma. The article reflects on the role teacher self-efficacy beliefs play in supporting children with complex trauma.