Introduce
What are ACEs?
ACEs stands for ‘Adverse Childhood Experiences.’ These experiences can include things like physical and emotional abuse, neglect, caregiver mental illness and household violence. Resilience plays an important role in the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), mental health and long term outcomes.
Develop
Research into Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) began in 1995, revealing that ACEs are not only common across all populations but also have a cumulative impact on long-term outcomes. Simply put, the more ACEs a child experiences, the greater their risk for poorer physical, emotional, and social outcomes later in life.
While ACEs are often studied in the context of older children and adults, it is important to recognise how these experiences uniquely affect babies and young children. Unlike older children, babies are developmentally unable to understand or process trauma in the same way. For instance, a baby may have no awareness of an event like a parent going to prison. However, the secondary effects of this ACE—such as the other caregiver becoming stressed, distracted, or emotionally unavailable—can have a profound impact on the baby’s wellbeing and development.
Babies and young children lack the cognitive and emotional maturity to make sense of painful or traumatic events. Instead, they experience these events through their immediate needs and relationships. For example, a baby who loses a primary caregiver would not comprehend the concept of death but would feel the absence as a sense of abandonment, leading to distress and potentially disrupted attachment.
Research into ACEs has been instrumental in raising awareness of the lasting impact early adversity can have on children’s developmental outcomes. It highlights the critical importance of early interventions and supportive environments to mitigate these effects and promote resilience in young children, starting from infancy. The following video explains why this might be:
While children from all backgrounds may experience ACEs, there is a higher chance of children growing up in disadvantaged areas with lower socioeconomic status to be exposed to numerous ACEs. The inequality leading to greater exposure therefore risks poorer long-term outcomes for these children.
Fortunately, there are actions that can buffer a child against the impact of ACEs and build their resilience. These includes:
- Having time away from the source of trauma and fear
- Engaging in activities that bring pleasure and happiness
- An available, responsive adult who is supportive and consistent
- Ensuring that services and early years settings are trauma-informed
What does this look like in Manchester? Have read of the document below:
Reflect
Stop and Reflect: These questions encourage you to think about how you might understand and address the impact of ACEs:
– What strategies or interventions could mitigate the impact of ACEs pre-birth and in the early days?
– What resources or approaches could you offer to help caregivers create a nurturing and secure environment, despite past adversities?
– How does the parent-baby bond impact the effects of ACEs?
– Reflect on a time when you have supported a family dealing with ACEs. What worked well, and what could have been done differently?