Alternative Suspension breaks cycle for repeatedly suspended students
Research shows school suspensions result in a range of adverse consequences. (ABC News: Sharon Gordon)
In short:
A program by The Y NSW is helping suspended high school students re-engage with education.
Alternative Suspension aims to turn school exclusion into a positive opportunity to help students learn coping skills and behaviour strategies.
What's next?
The Y NSW is lobbying for the program to be expanded across the state.
There is a small blue room at The Y in Broken Hill with a handful of desks, a whiteboard and shelves filled with games.
This is where Jordan spends Monday to Wednesday, instead of going to school.
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.
The main lessons taught here are in social and emotional wellbeing, including conflict management and impulse control.
Alternative Suspension teaches young people how to navigate strong emotions. (ABC Broken Hill: Kristina Rosengren)
The latter is something Jordan, which is not their real name, felt like they needed.
"[It helps] you think before you act … so I don't start hurting stuff," Jordan said.
While Jordan felt uncomfortable before starting the Alternative Suspension program, it was the strong relationships with the youth workers that kept them coming back.
"Once I got comfortable with the youth workers, it was easier to enjoy and learn," they said.
Creating a safe space
Alternative Suspension is a pilot program for The Y NSW that aims to address the underlying causes of the behaviour that leads to suspension.
Board games are used as a tool in lessons around communication and impulse control. (ABC Broken Hill: Kristina Rosengren)
It has a long history of success in Canada and parts of Europe, where it has been operating for more than 20 years.
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.
Between February 2023 and December 2025, the program has welcomed 520 students across the four locations.
A young person is referred by their high school and its deputies, but parents can also recommend their child be admitted to the program.
While it is not mandatory, the youth workers administering the program work hard to connect with the students and encourage participation.
"We can't force them," said Sarah Hinton, youth program coordinator for The Y in Broken Hill.
"[But] those relationships really help keep them in the program."
Loeen Howse, Sarah Hinton and Donna Singleton deliver the Alternative Suspension program. (ABC Broken Hill: Kristina Rosengren)
It is easy to see the rapport the youth workers have built with Jordan, who feels that their school teachers do not understand them.
There are three to four students in the Broken Hill program, with a capacity of six at a time.
Ms Hinton said the small group size allowed them to work one-on-one with the students.
"[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.
"With Alternative Suspension, we fill those gaps by addressing the underlying causes of the behaviour, not the behaviour itself."
Jordan says the program makes it easier to ask for help than in a traditional classroom. (ABC News: Sharon Gordon)
The program has allowed Jordan to come out of their shell.
"[My favourite part is] the smaller learning space, and it's also nice to have breaks," they said.
"[There are] less distractions and [it is] easier to ask for help."
Developing life skills
The program is being used as an intervention for young people who might fall through the gaps of the traditional schooling system.
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.
The youth workers sometimes write thought-provoking questions on Jenga blocks as an icebreaker game. (ABC Broken Hill: Kristina Rosengren)
"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.
They also take breaks to go outside and to exercise.
"We're pretty flexible with our routine, so we will shift things based on the day and the weather … and based on [students'] moods as well," Ms Hinton said.
It is about building confidence and resilience as well as developing life skills.
The program uses board games such as Jenga as part of impulse control and communication lessons. (ABC News: Sharon Gordon)
"Our program provides the time and space for reflection away from school pressure, with intensive relationship-based support," Ms Hinton said.
Time is allocated to help with schoolwork and goal setting, as well as exploring skills needed for further education or employment.
"[We teach] the life skills that they might not know how to do or just haven't had the opportunity to learn."
Connecting children to school
Research shows school suspensions result in a range of adverse educational, social, mental health and criminal consequences.
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.
Dr Kristin Laurens believes suspensions should be the last line of defence. (ABC News: Sharon Gordon)
A study of New South Wales public school students found 60 per cent of those who receive a suspension were suspended multiple times.
Almost half of the students who had at least one suspension were no longer enrolled by year 12.
Queensland University of Technology professor Kristin Laurens believes suspensions should be the absolute, last line of defence.
Kristin Laurens would like to see schools offer more in-house support. (Supplied: Kristin Laurens)
"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.
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.
"[Place-based programs] can be useful augmentations for children that need higher levels of support," Dr Laurens said.
"But I don't think they're a substitute for what needs to be delivered within a school environment.
"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
The effectiveness of Alternative Suspension is being evaluated in a study of longitudinal qualitative and quantitative data by Western Sydney University.
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.
It will be published by the end of this year or early next year, with plans to release the findings publicly.
Suspension rates are higher amongst children from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. (ABC News: Ian Cutmore)
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.
There has also been a 34 per cent reduction in physical violence.
Ms Hinton said The Y had been lobbying MPs and policy makers across NSW, advocating for a statewide expansion.
"Expansion opportunities include regional and rural communities with limited youth services, [and] metropolitan areas with higher suspension rates," she said.
Sarah Hinton believes in the power of Alternative Suspension to help young people develop life skills. (ABC Broken Hill: Kristina Rosengren)
The organisation is also looking at embedding the program within government-funded early intervention systems.
In Broken Hill, Ms Hinton said she was certain the program was making a difference.
"[Without it], young people [would] not have a trusted adult, a youth worker to talk to … [and] a space to keep them engaged," she said.
"We would definitely see a higher suspension rate [and] more disengagement with school."