Making Scotland an ACE-informed nation

Abstract

In recent years, tackling Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) has become a central dimension of early years, education, youth and family policy. In this Scottish Affairs special issue, we discuss why this public policy has galvanized so much attention in Scotland, and the possible consequence its popularity might have in theory, policy and practice. How, for example, has ACE research shaped how policy is responding to poverty and social inequality? What moral judgements are made by the ACE-agenda, and how might it obscure alternative ways of thinking about the problem of adversity, and cultivating lasting solutions. With contributions from academics and practitioners across different disciplines and practice settings, the collection points to an ongoing need for critical engagement in ACE-policy, and a greater commitment to understanding how ACE-policy is being translated into different practice settings. While theoretical debates are important, future research must prioritise the experiences of practitioners, and those with lived experience of adversity.

ACEs, Places and Inequality: Understanding the Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Poverty on Offending in Childhood

“…Whilst the conceptual framework of ACEs has gained academic and policy traction within the last decade, critical perspectives have drawn attention to both methodological and theoretical limitations (see further Davidson et al 2020). On methodology, Treanor (2019) characterises the check-list approach as deterministic and over-predictive, with experiences as varied as sexual abuse and parental separation given equal weighting, making it impossible to ascertain if some childhood experiences are likely to have a more detrimental impact than others.…”

Trauma: An Ideology in Search of Evidence and its Implications for the Social in Social Welfare

“…In this conceptual critique, we question the basis, utility and ethics of the status that trauma has assumed in culture and social policy. Davidson, Critchley and Wright (2020), in their editorial to the Scottish Affairs special issue, make the case that future research into ACEs must take into account the experiences of practitioners (and service users). We engage in this critique as experienced practitioners in social work, education and mental health, now academics in our respective fields.…”