Affinity welcomes Riley O’Neill as Queensland Senior Behaviour Coach

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Fiona Alston

Feb 10, 2026

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Affinity Education has welcomed Riley O’Neill as its new Queensland Senior Behaviour Coach, leading the rollout of a Positive Behaviour Guidance Coaching Program across Queensland services.

The program sits within a three-year Queensland Government–funded initiative designed to strengthen educator capability, improve behaviour guidance practice and support children’s wellbeing in early learning environments. The focus is practical and on-the-floor: building educator confidence in the moments that matter most, particularly when behaviour is escalating, persistent or complex.

Supporting children’s behaviour starts with supporting the educators who care for them every day. In busy early learning settings, educators are balancing routines, relationships, learning, safety and communication with families, often while also responding to children experiencing big feelings or stress responses. When educators feel confident and supported, children benefit through calmer environments, stronger co-regulation and more consistent guidance approaches across the day.

Riley brings more than a decade of early childhood experience, having worked as an Early Childhood Teacher across Australia, Taiwan and Central America. He understands the realities of the floor, the fast pace, the competing priorities and the emotional load educators can carry, alongside the joy and meaning of the work.

This experience informs an approach that is evidence-informed, relational and practical, with a focus on supporting educators to understand children’s needs through a trauma-informed lens and to build predictable, emotionally safe environments. Rather than expecting educators to “manage behaviour” in isolation, Riley’s work centres on the environments, routines, transitions and relational practices that help children feel safe and supported to participate.

Riley’s role is designed to work alongside teams rather than deliver one-off training. The intention is to build consistent behaviour guidance practices through coaching, modelling and follow-up, so strategies can be implemented, refined and embedded over time.

Delivered in partnership with Phoenix Support for Educators, the program is structured to embed evidence-informed practice through ongoing, service-based support. Across Queensland, Riley and the Behaviour Coaching team will support services by:

visiting centres to observe and support children experiencing ongoing or complex behaviours
identifying underlying needs using the Phoenix Cups model
coaching and modelling co-regulation, routines, transitions and calm responses
sharing practical strategies educators can apply immediately
strengthening learning environments through visuals, predictable schedules and purposeful planning
providing follow-up conversations and tailored behaviour support plans
facilitating reflective discussions and Phoenix-aligned professional learning

Over the life of the initiative, Affinity Education will also introduce a customised Behaviour Educator Toolkit, a hybrid coaching and mentoring model, annual symposiums, and a suite of practical resources including podcasts, hard copy tools and professional learning modules.

These supports are intended to help educators respond confidently to developmental, trauma-related and complex behaviours, while continuing to meet the National Quality Standard and uphold Affinity Education’s commitment to high-quality early education. The approach also supports consistent practice across rooms and teams, helping services reduce “one-person knowledge” and strengthen shared expectations.

Affinity Education CEO Glen Hurley said the program reflects a long-term commitment to educator wellbeing and capability, supporting consistent and wellbeing-focused approaches in daily practice.

Read the full announcement here.

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