Recognising and responding to coercive control

An initiative of the NSW Government - Recognising and responding to coercive control is proudly funded by the NSW Government.  

CELA’s Coercive Control workshop will be a powerful half-day of face-to-face learning experience built for community frontline early education and care professionals.

📍 Bass Suite, Club York, 95-99 York St, Sydney

📅 9am - 12.15pm, Fri, 1 May, 2026 (fully booked)

📅 1pm - 4.15pm, Fri, 1 May, 2026

📍 Mercure Newcastle, 12 Steele St, Newcastle West

📅 9am - 12.15pm, Mon, 4 May, 2026

These face-to-face sessions are limited to just 50 spots — secure yours early.

Can't make the date? CELA is developing a self-paced course in this topic. Click below to register your interest.

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST FOR SELF PACED

Why attend?

Coercive control is now recognised in NSW as a serious form of domestic abuse and family violence, and recent legal reforms have strengthened the need for educators to understand its impacts on children and families.

Early childhood educators and care professionals are often among the first protective adults outside the family who may notice when something isn’t right. Your role places you in a unique position to observe children’s behaviour, recognise warning signs, and take action that supports their safety and wellbeing. 

This workshop will strengthen your understanding of coercive control, your legal and ethical responsibilities, and how to respond when children may be affected by domestic and family violence. 

This training contains content about coercive control, domestic and family violence, and children’s experiences of harm. Please take care while reading.

What you'll take away from this:

Clear understanding of coercive control

Build a clear understanding of coercive control and how it can manifest within domestic and family violence. 

Recognise signs

Recognise behavioural and environmental signs that a child may be living in a coercively controlling environment.

Understand mandatory reporting

Understand your duty of care and mandatory reporting obligations under NSW legislation. 

Support families

Explore practical ways to support children affected by coercive control in early learning environments.

 

Program highlights

• Unpack coercive control as a pattern of abuse.
• Identify early warning signs in children, caregivers, and family dynamics.
• Understand the hidden impact on children’s emotional wellbeing, behaviour, and development.
• Gain practical strategies for safe, trauma-informed responses in ECEC settings.
• Leave with clearer pathways for noticing, documenting, and responding to concerns.

Details

Why CELA?

For almost 50 years, Community Early Learning Australia (CELA) has been a trusted leader in the early childhood education and care sector. As a national peak body, CELA represents more than 1,800 member services employing over 27,000 educators and teachers, supporting services through advocacy, expert advice, professional learning and sector resources.

The Recognising and responding to coercive control: Capacity building for community frontline early childhood education and care workers project has been funded by the NSW Government through the Department of Communities and Justice. The resources and training have been developed by Community Early Learning Australia (CELA) to support the early childhood education and care sector to recognise and respond to coercive control in early childhood settings.

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