Adverse Childhood Experiences – What are they and how might they impact on learning?

Programme for Government September 2017 “What happens to us as children can have a huge impact on us throughout our lives... We will embed a focus on preventing ACEs and supporting the resilience of children and adults in overcoming early life adversity across all areas of public service, including education, health, justice and social work.” http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0052/00524214.pdf

Resilience Documentary Screenings

Five minute film about the ACEs study: https://vimeo.com/139998006

ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES (ACEs) HOUSEHOLD DIFFICULTIES ABUSE NEGLECT HOUSEHOLD DIFFICULTIES

http://www. healthscotland. scot/media/1267/2_mark-bellis-presentation http://www.healthscotland.scot/media/1267/2_mark-bellis-presentation.pdf

Scottish Public Health Network Report May 2016 “The evidence of impact of adverse childhood experiences is compelling, as is the case for action from a moral and financial perspective at an individual level and to prevent the repeated cycle of intergenerational transmission.” https://www.scotphn.net/projects/adverse-childhood-experiences/introduction/

Source: Scottish Government (2017) 2015/16 Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland: 2015/16

…It began with fear that people did not like me or that I was in imminent danger. I also longed for a connection because it seemed to soothe the symptoms of the insecurity… I was always on high alert that the people I felt attached to were going to hurt, betray or leave me…I actively sought this pattern out in all my relationships… page 39-40 “It wasn’t until I started attending secondary school a few years later that I began to feel the impact of abandonment. It led to a deep insecurity.

“These niggling psychological feelings, coupled with the generally aggressive social environment made it hard for me to concentrate on school work. My head was always racing with internal dialogue about the various fears and anxieties I had….This made learning difficult” Poverty Safari, Darren McGarvey, Luarth Press Ltd, Edinburgh, 2017, pg 39-40 “Another thing that made this school such a challenging place to learn was that so many other pupils had similar problems”

Paper on ACEs and Attainment June 2017 “Schools are in a fantastic position to help support children and mitigate some of the effects that ACEs may have by recognising the factors which might affect children, building trusting relationships with them…and responding in a psychologically informed manner.” http://www.healthscotland.scot/publications/tackling-the-attainment-gap-by-preventing-and-responding-to-adverse-childhood-experiences

“If I had to boil this down to one thing for people to learn from this science, it’s to totally put to bed forever this sense that children who are born under disadvantaged circumstances are doomed to poor life outcomes. The science is saying, that’s just not true.” Professor Jack Shonkoff, Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University

Resilience The ability to overcome serious hardships such as those presented by adverse childhood experiences Sources of resilience in childhood and adulthood Social and leisure activities Personal, relational and community resources Relationships with adults Perceived financial security Perceived support from services Public Health Wales Research Published 2018

Contact Details Katy.hetherington@nhs.net @hetheringtonk78 @NHS_CYPF http://www.healthscotland.scot/population- groups/children/adverse-childhood-experiences

Adversity, Relationships and Psychologically Informed Environments Dr. Adam Burley Consultant Clinical Psychologist NHS Lothian Psychotherapy Department

‘There is no such thing as a baby.’ D. Winnicott (1957) Relationships define health

The Internal World. The Emotional Experience.

Why? Psychological Conflicts. ‘The relations with carers are characteristic; they are characterized by the defeat of help.’ R.Hinshelwood (2002)

Why? Comprehension conflicts. ‘When a young person is to be found running down the street smashing windows, he is looking for his mother.’ D. Winnicott (1949)

Content and Process

‘There is no such thing as a pupil.’ Education is fundamentally relational.

Thoughts / Questions?