{"id":3193,"date":"2026-05-02T04:05:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T04:05:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/3193\/"},"modified":"2026-05-02T04:05:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T04:05:25","slug":"alternative-suspension-breaks-cycle-for-repeatedly-suspended-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/3193\/","title":{"rendered":"Alternative Suspension breaks cycle for repeatedly suspended students"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is a small blue room at The Y in Broken Hill with a handful of desks, a whiteboard and shelves filled with games.<\/p>\n

This is where Jordan spends Monday to Wednesday, instead of going to school.<\/p>\n

They do not have to be here, but week after week, they choose to keep coming back to this classroom, which provides them with the thing missing from regular school.<\/p>\n

The main lessons taught here are in social and emotional wellbeing, including conflict management and impulse control.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

Alternative Suspension teaches young people how to navigate strong emotions. (ABC Broken Hill: Kristina Rosengren)<\/p>\n

The latter is something Jordan, which is not their real name, felt like they needed.<\/p>\n

“[It helps] you think before you act \u2026 so I don’t start hurting stuff,” Jordan said.<\/p>\n

While Jordan felt uncomfortable before starting the Alternative Suspension program, it was the strong relationships with the youth workers that kept them coming back.<\/p>\n

“Once I got comfortable with the youth workers, it was easier to enjoy and learn,” they said.<\/p>\n

Creating a safe space<\/p>\n

Alternative Suspension is a pilot program for The Y NSW that aims to address the underlying causes of the behaviour that leads to suspension.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Board games are used as a tool in lessons around communication and impulse control. (ABC Broken Hill: Kristina Rosengren)<\/p>\n

It has a long history of success in Canada and parts of Europe, where it has been operating for more than 20 years.<\/p>\n

The program made its way to Australia in 2023, starting in Western Sydney and the NSW Central Coast, before expanding to Oran Park and then further west to Broken Hill.<\/p>\n

Between February 2023 and December 2025, the program has welcomed 520 students across the four locations.<\/p>\n

A young person is referred by their high school and its deputies, but parents can also recommend their child be admitted to the program.<\/p>\n

While it is not mandatory, the youth workers administering the program work hard to connect with the students and encourage participation.<\/p>\n

“We can’t force them,” said Sarah Hinton, youth program coordinator for The Y in Broken Hill.<\/p>\n

“[But] those relationships really help keep them in the program.”<\/p>\n

\"Three<\/p>\n

Loeen Howse, Sarah Hinton and Donna Singleton deliver the Alternative Suspension program. (ABC Broken Hill: Kristina Rosengren)<\/p>\n

It is easy to see the rapport the youth workers have built with Jordan, who feels that their school teachers do not understand them.<\/p>\n

There are three to four students in the Broken Hill program, with a capacity of six at a time.<\/p>\n

Ms Hinton said the small group size allowed them to work one-on-one with the students.<\/p>\n

“[In] school, we see those larger class sizes, the pressure from the curriculum side of things, and limited time in that therapeutic intervention,” Ms Hinton said.<\/p>\n

“With Alternative Suspension, we fill those gaps by addressing the underlying causes of the behaviour, not the behaviour itself.”\"Art<\/p>\n

Jordan says the program makes it easier to ask for help than in a traditional classroom. (ABC News: Sharon Gordon)<\/p>\n

The program has allowed Jordan to come out of their shell.<\/p>\n

“[My favourite part is] the smaller learning space, and it’s also nice to have breaks,” they said.<\/p>\n

“[There are] less distractions and [it is] easier to ask for help.”<\/p>\n

Developing life skills<\/p>\n

The program is being used as an intervention for young people who might fall through the gaps of the traditional schooling system.<\/p>\n

Their routine is slower and often starts with a board game or icebreakers, which are used to improve communication skills, impulse control and conflict management.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The youth workers sometimes write thought-provoking questions on Jenga blocks as an icebreaker game. (ABC Broken Hill: Kristina Rosengren)<\/p>\n

“There are those skills hidden in the games that’s teaching them how to stop, have that pause, and breathe [if they’re becoming frustrated],” she said.<\/p>\n

They also take breaks to go outside and to exercise.<\/p>\n

“We’re pretty flexible with our routine, so we will shift things based on the day and the weather \u2026 and based on [students’] moods as well,” Ms Hinton said.<\/p>\n

It is about building confidence and resilience as well as developing life skills.<\/p>\n

\"Art<\/p>\n

The program uses board games such as Jenga as part of impulse control and communication lessons. (ABC News: Sharon Gordon)<\/p>\n

“Our program provides the time and space for reflection away from school pressure, with intensive relationship-based support,” Ms Hinton said.<\/p>\n

Time is allocated to help with schoolwork and goal setting, as well as exploring skills needed for further education or employment.<\/p>\n

“[We teach] the life skills that they might not know how to do or just haven’t had the opportunity to learn.”<\/p>\n

More news from Broken HillConnecting children to school<\/p>\n

Research shows school suspensions result in a range of adverse educational, social, mental health and criminal consequences.<\/p>\n

Suspension rates are also higher among children from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, those living in regional and remote areas of NSW, and those with emotional or behavioural disabilities.<\/p>\n

\"Art<\/p>\n

Dr Kristin Laurens believes suspensions should be the last line of defence. (ABC News: Sharon Gordon)<\/p>\n

A study of New South Wales public school students found 60 per cent of those who receive a suspension were suspended multiple times.<\/p>\n

Almost half of the students who had at least one suspension were no longer enrolled by year 12.<\/p>\n

Queensland University of Technology professor Kristin Laurens believes suspensions should be the absolute, last line of defence.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Kristin Laurens would like to see schools offer more in-house support. (Supplied: Kristin Laurens)<\/p>\n

“My concern is that if you’re pushing a child out into suspension, you’re actually taking them away from the opportunity to learn the pro-social behaviour,” Dr Laurens said.<\/p>\n

While she believed programs such as Alternative Suspension could be an important resource, she said there should be better in-house, holistic supports to ensure students stay connected to school.<\/p>\n

“[Place-based programs] can be useful augmentations for children that need higher levels of support,” Dr Laurens said.<\/p>\n

“But I don’t think they’re a substitute for what needs to be delivered within a school environment.<\/p>\n

“Schools have got be to be set up to make sure that they are delivering the sort of social and emotional skills building for all students.”Exploring expansion<\/p>\n

The effectiveness of Alternative Suspension is being evaluated in a study of longitudinal qualitative and quantitative data by Western Sydney University.<\/p>\n

Principal investigator Ann Dadich said the evaluation would address three key questions: whether participants’ behaviours altered after attending the program, whether attendance and engagement in school improved, and what critical features of the program drove positive effects on students.<\/p>\n

It will be published by the end of this year or early next year, with plans to release the findings publicly.<\/p>\n

\"Teenage<\/p>\n

Suspension rates are higher amongst children from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. (ABC News: Ian Cutmore)<\/p>\n

The Y’s own data, from a sample of 169 program participants, showed 67 per cent received no further suspension, and 37 per cent showed improvement in academic engagement after participating in the program.<\/p>\n

There has also been a 34 per cent reduction in physical violence.<\/p>\n

Ms Hinton said The Y had been lobbying MPs and policy makers across NSW, advocating for a statewide expansion.<\/p>\n

“Expansion opportunities include regional and rural communities with limited youth services, [and] metropolitan areas with higher suspension rates,” she said.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Sarah Hinton believes in the power of Alternative Suspension to help young people develop life skills. (ABC Broken Hill: Kristina Rosengren)<\/p>\n

The organisation is also looking at embedding the program within government-funded early intervention systems.<\/p>\n

In Broken Hill, Ms Hinton said she was certain the program was making a difference.<\/p>\n

“[Without it], young people [would] not have a trusted adult, a youth worker to talk to \u2026 [and] a space to keep them engaged,” she said.<\/p>\n

“We would definitely see a higher suspension rate [and] more disengagement with school.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There is a small blue room at The Y in Broken Hill with a handful of desks, a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3194,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4378,22,21,4384,4379,4386,4380,4385,4383,4381,4377,4382],"class_list":{"0":"post-3193","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-australia","8":"tag-alternative-suspension","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-austrlia","11":"tag-behaviour","12":"tag-high-school","13":"tag-impulse-control","14":"tag-intervention","15":"tag-resilience","16":"tag-school-suspension","17":"tag-support","18":"tag-the-y","19":"tag-young-people"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3193"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3193\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}