Tagged With "first years of life"
Blog Post
According to the latest personal wellbeing report from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the average ratings of anxiety increased between the years ending September 2015 and 2016.
Life satisfaction, worthwhile and happiness, however, remained unchanged during this time. Research also found that Wales was the only country to have higher anxiety ratings than the UK average. The report, entitled ‘Personal wellbeing in the UK: Oct 2015 to Sept 2016’, included a survey of adults in the UK, to better understand how they feel about their lives. Despite a growth in the levels of anxiety, the average ratings remained lower compared with the years ending September 2012 and...
Blog Post
ACES in Blackburn with Darwen
A Blackburn with Darwen study found that almost half (47%) of adults across the Borough have suffered at least one ACE, with 12% of adults in Blackburn with Darwen having suffered four or more ACEs. The study has shown that the more ACEs individuals experience in childhood, the greater their risk of a wide range of health-harming behaviours and diseases as an adult. The ACE animation below tells the story of a young boy growing up, and how his experience with ACEs could affect his life...
Blog Post
ACEs in Wales: Children who suffer abuse more likely to be involved in violence & misuse drugs & alcohol as adults
Adults in Wales who were physically or sexually abused as children or brought up in households where there was domestic violence, alcohol or drug abuse are more likely to adopt health-harming and anti-social behaviours in adult life... http://www.aces.me.uk/in-wales/ http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/888/news/40000
Blog Post
All pupils will be taught about mental and physical wellbeing (gov.uk)
It's a start. Clearly many children do not grow up in households where this information is known and understood and healthy patterns hold. I believe we still have a way to go including ACEs and that emotional health is key. All children in England will be taught how to look after their mental wellbeing and recognise when classmates may be struggling, as the Government unveils new guidance for the introduction of compulsory health education. Bold new plans set out today (Monday 25 February)...
Blog Post
Barnardo’s selected to run the National Centre for Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse
As part of an effort to address CSE and abuse, the UK Home Office is backing the centre until 2020 following previous criticism for a lack of progress on delivering their action plan. The centre hopes to gather and share high-quality evidence of successful schemes that have previously prevented child sexual exploitation and abuse. The scheme was launched at an event in Westminster in January, and there will be other events in Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Wales, taking place throughout...
Blog Post
Caring for Working Caregivers (ssir.org)
Caring for caregivers has become the new frontier in workplace management. Statistics reveal a massive and growing challenge worldwide for employees who must juggle their jobs with caring for elderly parents; a life partner with a health condition; or a disabled child, sibling, or close friend. In my own country, the United Kingdom, one in every nine employees (3 million people) is juggling a job and caring for a loved one. That figure will grow inexorably: The country’s 6.5 million carers...
Blog Post
Children 'failed in first 1,000 days', says MPs [BBC News]
The Health and Social Care Committee said the first 1,000 days were critical, but not enough was done. It warned cuts to children's centres, health visiting and services to support parents had left families vulnerable. Nearly a third of children are not "school ready" by the time they reach five, because they have not developed the necessary skills and behaviours. The cross-party group wants the government to pay for extra contact with health visitors beyond the age of two-and-a-half. The...
Blog Post
Children with special educational needs and disability
Children with special educational needs and disability The BBC reports that Judge Rowley has ruled in the Upper Tribunal that the exclusion from school of a 13-year-old boy due to behaviour linked to his autism was unlawful. The judge ruled that "aggressive behaviour is not a choice for children with autism” and that their behaviour in school "is a manifestation of the very condition which calls for special educational provision to be made for them". Source: BBC Date: 14 August 2018 Further...
Blog Post
The World’s First International Congress of Mindful Politicians (mindful.org)
Something quite extraordinary happened in the UK House of Commons on October 17 th . Forty politicians from 14 countries sat together in silence, practicing mindfulness with the guidance of Jon Kabat-Zinn . UK Ministers sat in contemplation alongside delegates who had flown in from as far away as Israel, Sri Lanka, Croatia and Sweden to explore their interest in mindfulness as an instrument of positive change. The world’s first international congress of mindful politicians then engaged in...
Blog Post
This teenager posted 40 uplifting notes on a bridge to stop suicides. It’s working. (upworthy.com)
Paige Hunter said she only wanted to help others struggling to talk about mental health issues. Now, a local police department is honoring the 18-year-old for what they called an “inspired” idea that has literally saved lives. Hunter wrote dozens of encouraging letters and posted the signs along the Wearmouth Bridge in Sunderland, England. Paige said she never wanted an award, just a better way to cope with the often overwhelming burden of mental illness. And she's expanding her efforts to...
Blog Post
Thousands of police trained to spot childhood trauma (bbc.co.uk)
How do you tackle the problem of young people falling into a life of crime? One of the approaches being adopted across the UK has been more awareness of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). In Wales, more than 5,000 front-line officers and police staff have been trained in responding to crimes involving children to enable them to recognise whether they may be experiencing ACEs. The programme, which has been backed by more than £6.5m of Home Office funding, is being used as a pilot which...
Blog Post
Towards an ACE-Aware, trauma-responsive Ireland: Firkin Crane event Cork 08 April 2019
https://soundcloud.com/jane-mulcahy/firkin-crane-event-towards-an-ace-aware-trauma-responsive-ireland This event was an open discussion with survivors of childhood trauma and professionals working in the Early Years sector, education, health, addiction and homeless services about the desirability of raising public and political awareness of the prevalence and impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in Ireland and the need for a collaborative cross sector trauma-responsive approach for...
Blog Post
Treat Historic Trauma to Rehabilitate Prisoners, Psychologists Say [belfasttelegraph.co.uk]
By Tess de la Mare, Belfast Telegraph Digital, January 2, 2020 The traumatic histories of offenders stuck in the prison system should be treated as a public health issue to break cycles of offending, psychologists working with inmates have said. But despite the often complex histories of violent offenders, in the UK’s squeezed prison system there are limited resources available for rehabilitation. Forensic psychologist Dr Naomi Murphy runs a five-year intensive psychotherapy programme for...
Blog Post
U.K. Appoints Minister for Suicide Prevention [NYTimes.com]
Months after appointing its first minister for loneliness, Britain named a minister for suicide prevention as part of a new push to tackle mental health issues. Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday announced the appointment of the health minister Jackie Doyle-Price to the new role. She will lead government efforts to cut the number of suicides and overcome the stigma that prevents people with mental health problems from seeking help. While suicide rates have dropped in recent years, about...
Blog Post
Whole People Series & Study Guide (www.pbs.org)
There's a fantastic five-part series, Whole People , done by PBS, " spotlighting the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) through personal and community stories. It explores the long-term costs to personal well-being and our society. While much work needs to be done, there are many innovative developments to prevent and treat ACES. We all play a role in becoming a whole people." It's amazing. The five topics covered are as follows: Childhood Trauma Healing Communities A New...
Blog Post
Why mental health services in England are finally receiving attention [theguardian.com]
England is witnessing the “ biggest expansion of mental health services in Europe ”, according to health secretary Jeremy Hunt, who has promised that an extra £1.3bn would be invested annually in mental health services by 2021. With one in four people expected to suffer from mental illness at some time in their life – whether it’s a new mother struggling with postnatal depression, a teenager with an eating disorder, or an older person isolated and lonely at home – the financial commitment is...
Blog Post
Could yoga save prisoners from a life of crime?
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/sep/11/yoga-prisons-crime-cut-reoffending The 46-year-old charity worker has been clean of drugs for seven years after breaking his two-decade cycle of addiction, reoffending and imprisonment. He now has a full-time job with the Karuna Trust , a charity working in India and Nepal, and he’s been out of prison for more than five years. He puts this down to the self-control he gained during his daily sessions of yoga and meditation while “inside”. “One...
Blog Post
Employers need to do more to support adult survivors of childhood trauma
We now need the right climate in the workplace for survivors to talk openly and with full confidence so that their employer can provide appropriate support.
Blog Post
Facebook has started to use artificial intelligence to identify users of the network that could be at risk of suicide
According to the BBC, Facebook has begun to develop algorithms that locate warning signs in users’ posts and the comments other users post in response to this. Once highlighted, the company’s human review team will assess the situation and, if necessary, contact those thought to be at risk of self-harm. They will subsequently suggest ways in which the user can seek help. Facebook has stated that this new technology is not only helpful but also critical to the well-being of users. So far, the...
Blog Post
Fathers affected by birthing process can get help on the NHS now [Daily Echo - UK]
CAMPAIGNING Bournemouth University academic Dr Andy Mayers is celebrating after learning that fathers who have experienced stress or mental health issues as a result of the birthing process are to be provided with mental health support through the NHS for the first time. Speaking after the NHS announcement Dr Andrew Mayers, Principal Academic in Psychology at Bournemouth University, said, “Until this announcement, fathers were not formally considered for needing support for ‘perinatal’...
Blog Post
First 1000 days of life - policy and practice examined
The Health and Social Care Committee hears from senior officials in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland about how policy and practice in other parts of the UK can help inform England's approach to the first 1000 days. The Committee will also hear from Public Health England about their role in giving children the best start in life. https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/health-and-social-care-committee/news/first-1000-days-evidence-17-191/
Blog Post
Four-year-old referred to specialist unit after killing pair of kittens
https://www.scotsman.com/news/four-year-old-referred-to-specialist-unit-after-killing-pair-of-kittens-1-4794346 A four-year-old child has been referred to the newly-launched Scottish Animal Guardians programme after killing two kittens, it has emerged. Details of cruelty by youngsters were revealed at Scotland’s first human-animal interaction conference by the Scottish SPCA and the University of Edinburgh. A total of 25 children from the Edinburgh City Council area have been referred to the...
Blog Post
Good intentions but the right approach? The case of ACEs
There are of course lots of examples of fine work going on around ACEs, but there are also aspects of the ACE movement that make me feel a little uncomfortable. I worry that what is clearly a well-intentioned desire to just do something might not do good and could cause harm. My concerns are absolutely not meant as a criticism of the motivation and altruism underlying the ACEs movement, but as a cautionary nudge to make sure that, in our enthusiasm to do good, we don’t run before we can walk.
Blog Post
Greater Manchester plan to give thousands of children and young people the best start in life
A new plan was launched at the Greater Manchester Health and Care Board which will help hundreds of thousands of children and young people in Greater Manchester to get better health and care to improve their development and fulfil their potential. The four-year plan maps out how agencies in the region will work closer together to make sure local services offered from before birth through to adulthood, will give every child across Greater Manchester the best possible start in life. The...
Blog Post
Highland Council first in UK to adopt ‘ACE’ principles [pressandjournal.co.uk]
Highland councillors yesterday committed to following the principles laid out in a new report on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) by NHS Highland. The council is the first local authority in the UK to commit to becoming ‘ACE Aware’, and working with NHS and third sector to embed the principles into frontline children’s services. The report sets out to change traditional ways of thinking about children and adults who have had a poor start in life due to ‘toxic stress’ in their surroundings...
Blog Post
House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee First 1000 days of life Thirteenth Report of Session 2017–19
Summary
The first 1000 days of life, from conception to age 2, is a critical phase during which the foundations of a child’s development are laid. If a child’s body and brain develop well then their life chances are improved. Exposure to stresses or adversity during this period can result in a child’s development falling behind their peers. Left unaddressed...
Blog Post
How Adverse Childhood Experiences Cost $1.33 Trillion a Year (psychologytoday.com)
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/experimentations/201909/how-adverse-childhood-experiences-cost-133-trillion-year
Blog Post
How many children experience the death of their mother UK 🇬🇧
Finally it seems we are starting to map key events in lives experiences. The death of a parent can have a profound impact on children which may be felt throughout their life. However, there are currently no official estimates of the number of children who are affected by bereavement. Nick Stripe explains how ONS is starting to fill the evidence gap. In new statistics published today we have estimated the proportion of children born between the years 1971-2000 who experienced the death of...
Blog Post
How many children experience trauma and PTSD UK 🇬🇧
This article intrigued me, is this purely PTSD or did it included identifying CPTSD or developmental trauma?... MRC-funded research from King’s College London suggests one in 13 young people in the UK have had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) before reaching age 18. The first UK-based study of its kind, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, found 31% of young people had a traumatic experience during childhood, and those who were exposed to trauma were twice as likely as their peers to...
Blog Post
Is Anxiety to Blame for Missed School? [madinamerica.com]
A team of researchers based in the UK, affiliated with the University of Exeter and the University of Bristol, recently investigated the relationship between mental health and school attendance. Katie Finning and colleagues conducted a systematic review examining overall absenteeism, excused and medical absences, unexcused absences, and school refusal within 11 studies across six countries across North America, Europe, and Asia. Their results point to connections between anxiety, unexcused...
Blog Post
Leader of the Commons to Chair Ministerial Group on Family Support from Conception to Age 2
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/leader-of-the-commons-to-chair-ministerial-group-on-family-support-from-conception-to-the-age-of-two This includes: record investment in early years education and childcare support of around £6 billion by 2020 £365 million investment to enable 30,000 more women to access appropriate, high-quality specialist perinatal mental health care by 2020/21 15 hours per week of free early education for disadvantaged two-year-olds – nearly 750,000 children have...
Blog Post
Making Connections Understanding how local agencies can better keep missing children safe
The Childrens Society Report attached...
Blog Post
Mental Health, Social Adversity, and Health-Related Outcomes in Sexual Minority Adolescents: A Contemporary National Cohort Study [thelancet.com]
By Background Sexual minority adolescents are more likely to have mental health problems, adverse social environments, and negative health outcomes compared with their heterosexual counterparts. There is a paucity of up-to-date population-level estimates of the extent of risk across these domains in the UK. We analysed outcomes across mental health, social environment, and health-related domains in sexual minority adolescents compared with their heterosexual counterparts in a large,...
Blog Post
More Evidence that Green Space Helps Develop Young Brains (psmag.com)
Several recent studies have found children tend to fare better academically if they have ample access to the natural world. But the reasons for this remains hazy. Do they get more exercise? Breathe cleaner air? New British research reveals one likely advantage such kids enjoy. It finds they score higher on a standard test of Spatial Working Memory —the ability to retain visual information long enough to process it and make use of it to solve problems. For a child, this may mean developing an...
Blog Post
My Life as Courgette in Manchester UK
https://www.creativetourist.com/event/my-life-as-a-courgette/
Blog Post
National Statistics HBAI, 1994/95 to 2016/17: children data tables Children income data tables produced as part of the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) report: 1994/95 to 2016/17 (Gov.uk)
Details The HBAI report presents information on living standards in the United Kingdom year-on-year from 1994/1995 to 2016/2017. These data tables provide greater detail about the income of children, especially those in families with low income. They include the following information. Overall trends How many and what percentage of children are in low income households, and is this proportion rising or falling over time? Detailed breakdowns What percentages of children in low income live in...
Blog Post
Nauru refugees: The island where children have given up on life
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-45327058 Suicide attempts and horrifying acts of self-harm are drawing fresh attention to the suffering of refugee children on Nauru, in what is being described as a "mental health crisis". The tiny island nation, site of Australia's controversial offshore processing centre, has long been plagued with allegations of human rights abuses. But a series of damning media reports recently has also highlighted a rapidly deteriorating situation for young people.
Blog Post
Navigating the Transition into Caregiving (dailygood.org)
Personal transformation is usually an experience we actively seek out - not one that hunts us down. But in the twenty-first century, becoming a caregiver is a transformation that comes at us because today the ‘call to care’ is at odds with the imperative of work and the call to individual achievement. Being a caregiver is not something most people think or dream about, let alone prepare for, even though it’s a role many of us will inhabit, since there are approximately 43 million informal...
Blog Post
Neglected Children End Up With 'Smaller Brains' [bbc.com]
By James Gallagher, British Broadcasting Corporation, January 7, 2020 An early life full of neglect, deprivation and adversity leads to people growing up with smaller brains, a study suggests. The researchers at King's College London were following adopted children who spent time in "hellhole" Romanian orphanages. They grew up with brains 8.6% smaller than other adoptees. [ Please click here to read more .]
Blog Post
NHS Highland (Scotland) report on ACEs science (including resilience) and practice
In the new report, Adverse Childhood Experiences, Resilience, and Trauma-Informed Care: A Public Health Approach to Understanding and Responding to Adversity , Professor Hugo van Warden, t he director of public health for NHS Highland (Scotland), writes: "This report deals with ‘Adverse Childhood Experiences’ and chronic exposure to ‘toxic stress’. A key message in this report is that such experiences increase the risk of later development of poor mental health, adverse behavioural...
Blog Post
One in four girls is depressed at age 14, new study reveals
New research shows a quarter of girls (24%) and one in 10 boys (9%) are depressed at age 14. Researchers from the UCL Institute of Education and the University of Liverpool analysed information on more than 10,000 children born in 2000-01 who are taking part in the Millennium Cohort Study . At ages 3, 5, 7, 11 and 14, parents reported on their children’s mental health. Then, when they reached 14, the children were themselves asked questions about their depressive symptoms. Based on the...
Blog Post
Poverty & Income Inequality in Scotland: 2014-17
This publication presents three year averaged estimates of the percentage of people, children, working age adults and pensioners living in low income households in Scotland, and other statistics on household income and income inequality. Previously, we reported on single-year estimates, see page 2 for more information. The estimates are used to monitor progress in reducing poverty and income inequality. Key trends Poverty rates appear to be rising slowly. Income inequality appears to be...
Blog Post
Prince Harry and Oprah’s New TV Series Could Change the Way We View Mental Health at Work (thriveglobal.com)
A couple of years ago, Prince Harry joined the ever-growing list of high-profile public figures who are opening up about their mental health struggles. “I can safely say that losing my mum at the age of 12, and therefore shutting down all of my emotions for the last 20 years, has had a quite serious effect on not only my personal life, but my work as well,” Harry said on a podcast for The Daily Telegraph . Now Harry and Oprah Winfrey are teaming up on a series for Apple TV+ that will debut...
Blog Post
Registration Deadline for Virtual Screening of Cracked Up is Friday, June 7th
The exclusive virtual screening to all ACEs Connection members of the new, acclaimed film, CRACKED UP is fast approaching. The registration deadline is Friday, June 7th at 5pm PST / 8pm EST To register , please complete this form . This documentary film is about the long term effects of childhood trauma, told through Saturday Night Live veteran Darrell Hammond’s journey in discovering adverse childhood experiences at the root of his lifelong battle with self-harm, addiction, and...
Blog Post
Religious Engagement Effects on Outcomes of Early Childhood Maltreatment
this is one of the few (and perhaps the first) examination of the possible effects of religious involvement on academic performance and mental health outcomes of maltreated children in the United Kingdom.
Blog Post
Research report March 2018 International comparisons of health and wellbeing in early childhood
About the report This report presents data on health and wellbeing for early childhood in the UK and 14 comparable countries, recognising the particular influence that a child’s development in this period can have on his or her future health and quality of life. We consider the benefits and challenges of comparing child health indicators between countries, to inform local and national policy and practice that improves the health of children and families in this country. The findings show...
Blog Post
Responding to adverse childhood experiences: An evidence review of interventions to prevent and address adversity across the life course [Public Health Wales]
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are stressful events during childhood that can have a profound impact on an individual’s present and future health. Growing up in the face of such adversities is recognised as an important public health concern in Wales and internationally. Actions to prevent and mitigate ACEs and their associated harms are essential to improve population health for present and future generations.
Blog Post
SafeLives statistics show the effects of domestic abuse on young people
Sadly, domestic abuse and violence are a part of many people’s lives. In a large number of these cases those affected are under 18. However, many people are not aware of this, and do not know how far-reaching the effects can be. SafeLives is a national charity with the goal of preventing – and eventually ending – domestic abuse. Since 2005, it has been providing many people with the help and support they need to escape abusive relationships. Recent research it conducted into this area, and...
Blog Post
Scotland's parents need 'oxygen' [holyrood.com]
While probably not in your diary, the second of October 2017 is the fifth anniversary of the Scottish Government’s National Parenting Strategy. Other initiatives and events took precedence during this extraordinary period in Scotland’s history. But, when launched, the Strategywas not a trivial, ‘off the cuff’ public policy. After an extensive consultation process, the Scottish Government proposed dozens of actions under the rubric ‘Our commitment to Scotland’s parents’. A year later, NHS...
Blog Post
Sharp rise in number of young people seeking help for anxiety [theguardian.com]
A children’s helpline says the number of counselling sessions it has delivered to youngsters with anxiety has almost doubled in two years, with nine out of 10 calls from girls. According to Childline, which is supported by the NSPCC children’s charity, there has been a sharp rise in the number of young people seeking help because of anxiety as they struggle to cope with the demands of modern life. The NSPCC said Childline counsellors delivered 11,700 sessions to children and teenagers...