Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are a set of 10 traumatic events or circumstances occurring before the age of 18 that have been shown through research to increase the risk of adult mental health problems and debilitating diseases. Understanding of the impact that childhood traumatic events have on adult life outcomes has led to health and care agencies developing a questionnaire to assess the level of ACEs experienced by children and young people.
Information gathered through the questionnaire is used by clinicians and family support agencies to identify children and families experiencing adversity and offer help.
The adoption of the ACE framework has led to some states in the US developing widespread screening programmes in an effort to provide earlier interventions, while in the UK, the Welsh and Scottish governments have developed national strategies for tackling ACEs.
In England, the response has been more piecemeal, with individual local authorities, health departments and police forces developing initiatives for reducing ACEs, but no national strategy.
There has been widespread adoption by social care and health agencies of trauma-informed approaches to supporting vulnerable children and families. But again the lack of a national set of standards for training in the field many believe is a barrier to raising practice standards and children’s outcomes.
CYP Now’s special report on ACE assesses latest additions to the growing evidence base on the impact of ACE and how they are identified in children; summarises key policy developments across the UK; and profiles two examples of local agencies developing programmes to reduce the impact of ACEs.
Click on the links below for more:
Research evidence:
Client and provider discomfort with an adverse childhood experiences survey
Practice examples:
Agencies train ambassadors to spread ACE awareness
Sefton’s trauma-informed approach helps families to recover from ACEs
