ACES aren’t childhood events that guarantee you will struggle later in life. They are events that put you at greater risk of long-term struggles - because yr biological capacity to manage stress has been damaged. What protects against such damage? Reassuring relationships.
2. So if we have the courage & will to contemplate it, then: yes, boarding school is an ACE. Lots of evidence now shows t risk. If a person goes to boarding school & wasn’t damaged by the experience, they were lucky. That wasn’t guaranteed.
3. If we hv t courage & will to contemplate it: yes, nursery care w/out constant, warm attentn to childrn’s emotional needs will be an ACE. ACES are risk factors, not guarantees. Govts (natl or local) can intend to do good &yet cause unintentional damage.
4. If we hv t courage & will to face it: yes, time in the NICU unit will be an ACE. Simply because a baby’s biological need to be protected from pain & fear couldn’t be met. NICU units that prioritise relational care decrease long-term risks. handtohold.org/kangaroo-care-…
If we hv t courage & will to face it: In t 1950s, childrn’s hospitals were an ACE for children. Ordinary practices created distress. Many childrn suffered for life as a result. No one in the system intended it. Although campaigners even then were warning. youtube.com/watch?v=s14Q-_…
6. If we hv t courage & will to face it: yes, t policy decision to keep childrn safe in WW2 by evacuation was an ACE. It ws motivated by t best of intentions. Evidnce now shows less long-term harm wd hv been done to youngest ones by leaving thm w/ parents. youtube.com/watch?v=JwQBBX…
7. If we hv t courage & will to face it: yes, the once-very-ordinary practice in schools of strapping children is an ACE. It was just the norm, an adujt’s “right”. They thought they were dealing w/ behaviour for “now”, not health in t future . theguardian.com/childrens-book…
8. I draw hope from the release of @TheCareReview because it is an act of courage & will. Scotland is facing up to harm we do, to the idea that state care cd be an ACE. Without ever intendng it, systems can harm children who depend on us to care for thm.
9. An ACES lens, for whatever limitations ths language/model carries, is proving to be one way of helping many people to see distress they had overlooked/misunderstood before. If we can get more SYSTEMS to be courageous&curious, we stand a chance of preventng avoidable harm.(End)
