CHARITIES have issued a call to “halt the cycle of childhood trauma” by providing increased support for parents dealing with harmful drinking habits. An estimated 30,000-51,000 Scottish children are being raised by problem drinkers, according to a recent report, with many youngsters at risk of imitating the same deleterious behaviour. Experts in harm-reduction and welfare organisations are warning that urgent support is needed to ensure fewer adults are faced with entrenched alcohol problems...

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...

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...

https://inews.co.uk/news/scotland/hundreds-of-staff-brought-into-scottish-schools-to-help-pupils-with-mental-health-problems/amp/?__twitter_impression=true The plan was a key part of Nicola Sturgeon's Programme for Government Hundreds of extra nurses and counsellors are to be brought into schools across Scotland to help pupils cope with mental health problems, amid concerns over “devastating” waiting times. The plans will see 600 extra specialist mental health staff working in the nation’s...

In this extended Law and Justice interview with Scotsman, Kevin Neary, founder of Aid & Abet, we discuss the challenges of safely transitioning from prison back into society, childhood trauma, addiction, offending behaviour, recovery, the need for comprehensive, relationship-based community supports where basic needs are met, the utility of the Adverse Childhood Experience evidence, neuroscience developments and the ACE Aware Nation movement in Scotland, the fact that his family were...

Come and join us for this major national event! Scotland is in the midst of a cultural revolution. More and more of us are coming to understand what science is telling us about the impact of childhood stress on adult health and happiness. This one-day conference will bring together some of the most inspirational speakers in the country, to help us consider how we get this information on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) to every citizen of our nation. There are only 5 million of us in...

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...

Police officers are being trained to understand the impact of “toxic stress” caused by childhood trauma amid evidence it can dramatically increase a person’s likelihood of offending. Officers and staff from Police Scotland’s Ayrshire division are among the first in the country to become “trauma informed” by learning about the effect of so-called Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). According to the Scottish Government, someone who has experienced four or more ACEs is 14 times more likely to...

State of Child Health: One Year On Child health in Scotland ranks among the worse in Western Europe, and the disparity between children living in the most and least affluent communities is unacceptably wide. One in four children – 210,000 – live in poverty, 28% are overweight or obese and many of the approximately 400 deaths among infants, children and young people each year are avoidable. In January 2017, we published a report, the State of Child Health, in which we presented...

The Scottish government has announced a greater emphasis on crime prevention as part of its new justice strategy. Justice Secretary Michael Matheson published the new priorities as he started the demolition of Scotland's only women's prison at Cornton Vale. Two new community-based custody units for women will be located in Glasgow and either Fife or Dundee. The new units will focus on recovery and keeping women closer to their families. A smaller prison will also be built at Cornton Vale for...

Suicide prevention action plan: Scotland The Scottish Government has published a Suicide prevention action plan setting out the government’s plan to reduce the suicide rate in the country by 20% by 2022. Actions include: setting up the National suicide prevention leadership group (NSPLG) whose work will include ensuring that the needs of children and young people are considered. Source: Scottish Government Date: 09 August 2018 Further information: Every life matters (PDF)

So exciting! Go Scotland!

I remember my first thoughts when I heard about the Scotland and UK lockdown measures to manage the Covid-19 pandemic. It wasn’t for myself or my wellbeing, or my job, but for my niece and nephews. If I was anxious about this, and their parents were anxious – through being furloughed and working more hours as key workers – how would that translate to them? In particular, the impact of suddenly being removed from school and their peer groups. For my youngest nephew, I wondered how far this...

Just a heads-up about a programme being broadcast tonight then available on iPlayer (in UK). 30 minutes looking at Scotland's approach to tackling violent crime by taking a broad 'public health approach' to tackle the roots of the problem. Apparently the journalist Kate Silverton has been retraining as a child psychologist so this is a pet project she wanted to highlight. Don't blame me if the programme is rubbish!

Thanks for the share, will watch

Thanks for the share, I’m sure it won’t be rubbish Kate.

Dear Colleagues & Friends, We are delighted to invite you to our next live webinar on Thursday 13th May . This online event will be an opportunity to learn about ACEs, attachment theory and cultural competence in action and hear from three passionate and inspiring practitioners who are committed to creating healthier relationships and communities and, ultimately, positive change . There will be opportunities to interact during the webinar. You can see the full programme here . For...