Thread by @DrJessTaylor

Boycott routine screening of ACEs at all costs. Never let this into your services, forces, local authorities or charities.

ACEs is not strengths based. It’s not trauma-informed. It’s not evidence based. It’s not ethical.

Don’t ever let it into your practice.

Okay so lots of people commenting to ask why I feel this way.

First of all, read this blog I wrote:

victimfocus.wordpress.com/2019/03/15/why…

ACEs exist - if you mean ‘adverse childhood experiences’ - of course they exist. ACEs scores are bollocks and the screening tools are also bollocks.

Go and look at an ACEs screening tool and then tell me what ‘ACEs’ are missing from that checklist. There’s hundreds.

ACEs ‘scores’ mean nothing. Why do they all score 1 point? Aren’t we all individuals? What if you were sexually abused constantly for years but had none of the others? You just get a trauma score of 1? Makes no sense.

What if a divorce impacted you more than anything else?

Trying to predict human outcomes from an ACE score is also deficit theory, anti-trauma informed, reductionist bollocks.

If we can predict shitty outcomes for everyone with a high ACEs score you may as well all quit your jobs now and go home if it’s so predictable.

Another thing - if ACEs scores really have the power to predict and quantify - how come every time I get professionals, SWs, academics etc to do their ACEs score it always averages about 4-6 each and yet they are all functioning fine and doing well in life?

Have you considered how ACEs can me misused?

We are already telling people that their ACEs score basically means they’re doomed. I’m totally uninterested in people tweeting back that we don’t do this when I’ve spoken directly with abused women who have been told this in 2020

ACEs are already being used or considered in health insurance, mortgages, home insurance and life insurance. Have you considered what happens when we all get a bollocks numerical score based on what other people did to us in childhood?

I found that a local authority was using ACEs to screen pregnant mothers for PRE BIRTH ASSESSMENTS.

Let that shit sink right in.

Another local authority rang me asking for guidance because they had decided to completely remodel their children’s services so that only children with an ACE score above 4.

I spent time explaining why that was a terrible idea and they didn’t go ahead thank fuck.

Sorry to add to tweet above - they had decided they would only provide services to children with ACEs above 4. I explained that trauma does not work like that at all and ACEs cannot be quantified

51% of social workers have been abused in childhood according to 2016 study.

How would they all feel to be told their ACEs score is so high they are unlikely to have any career, any success, poor health, poor mental health and be poor parents?

Have we considered that professionals are being taught to ACEs screen parents to assess their suitability and competency for parenting?

My ACEs score is 8. What does that mean? I can’t be a mum? I’m a shit mum? I’m a dangerous, broken, vulnerable mum?

What about the fact that people are being taught that ACEs is an evidence based way of predicting outcomes of children?

Don’t we believe all children (humans) have potential and should not be defined by what someone else did to them?

Children and adults are not their traumas