Tagged With "Health and Social Care Committee"
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
Associations of Adverse Childhood Experiences with Educational Attainment and Adolescent Health and the Role of Family Socioeconomic Factors: A Prospective Cohort Study in the UK [journals.plos.org]
By Lotte C. Houtepen, Jon Heron, Matthew J. Suderman, et al., PLOS Medicine, March 2, 2020 Background Experiencing multiple adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is a risk factor for many adverse outcomes. We explore associations of ACEs with educational attainment and adolescent health and the role of family and socioeconomic factors in these associations. Methods and findings Using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a prospective cohort of children born...
Blog Post
British Doctors May Soon Prescribe Art, Music, Dance, Singing Lessons [smithsonianmag.com]
An ambitious initiative unveiled this week by British Health Secretary Matt Hancock may soon enable the country’s doctors to prescribe therapeutic art- or hobby-based treatments for ailments ranging from dementia to psychosis, lung conditions and mental health issues. Writing for the Times , Kat Lay explains that this unconventional strategy, described by the U.K. government as “social prescribing,” could find patients enrolled in dance classes and singing lessons, or perhaps enjoying a...
Blog Post
Bruising in Children: Exploring the Attitudes, Knowledge and Training of Child Protection Social Workers and the Interface with Paediatricians regarding Childhood Bruising
Abstract While child protection social workers (CPSWs) make decisions about which children with an injury need a medical examination, we do not know how they make these decisions. We aimed to ascertain the knowledge, attitudes and training of CPSWs in regards to assessing childhood bruising. Paediatricians' views on the bruising knowledge and training of CPSWs were also explored, as well as the relationship and communication between the two professions. Semi‐structured, face‐to‐face...
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 living in households with complex needs
Children living in households with complex needs The Children’s Commissioner for England has published a report analysing the voices of children living in households with domestic abuse, parental substance misuse and parental mental health problems. The report presents findings from interviews with 15 children and young people aged 6 to 19 who were supported in three projects in London, Doncaster and Herefordshire. The interviews explored: how experiences at home affected their emotional...
Blog Post
Children's services cuts 'a false economy', Ofsted warns
Cuts to children's services budgets for family support and youth work represent a "false economy", simply leading to greater pressure on safeguarding provision, Ofsted has warned. The inspectorate's annual report noted that while the overall effectiveness of children's services provision is continuing to improve, the impact of ongoing financial restrictions risks jeopardising progress. Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman said that local authority social care budgets have experienced the...
Blog Post
Children who are bullied frequently are four times more likely to suffer, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS)
The ONS ‘Children’s Well-being 2015’ report reveals a number of findings that provide insight into mental health problems in children. A new measure of children’s mental ill-health is included in response to feedback from stakeholders who identified mental health as missing from the initial set of measures for children. It uses the total difficulties score from the child self-completion aspect of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) from the UK Household Longitudinal Survey...
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
UK Current & Future State of Nations Health
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/current-and-future-state-of-nations-health-revealed
Blog Post
UK - The Kinship Care: State of the Nation Survey (Grandparents)
https://www.grandparentsplus.org.uk/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=75a6b874-6666-4224-8770-48905670dbaf The Kinship Care: State of the Nation Survey This report is based on a survey of members of the Grandparents Plus Kinship Care Support Network, which includes almost 4,000 kinship carers. The results are based on responses from 671 kinship carers living in England and Wales, making it the largest ever survey of its kind. Carried out in February 2017 using both online and postal...
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
Young people being encouraged to get comfortable talking about domestic abuse
Young people are being encouraged to get comfortable talking about domestic abuse as Greater Manchester’s ground-breaking awareness campaign tours schools and youth centres across the city-region. The ‘Sitting Right With You’ campaign was first launched in October 2016 and features imagery of a yellow sofa accompanied by challenging messages to get people thinking differently about what domestic abuse is and encouraging victims to take that first step and ask for help. Now, the campaign –...
Blog Post
Young people who engage in child sexual exploitation behaviours: an exploratory study.
Young people who engage in child sexual exploitation behaviours: an exploratory study. Authors: Simon Hackett and Stephen Smith Format: Online report Summary: Looks at young people who engage in sexually exploitative behaviours. Findings from a study of 14 official case records include: experiences of adversity were found in the developmental histories of 10 of the 14 young people, with domestic violence the most commonly reported factor; 12 of the young people had long-standing non-sexual...
Blog Post
Comparison of suicidal ideation, suicide attempt and suicide in children and young people in care and non-care populations: Systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence
Abstract Suicide in children and young people is a major public health concern. However, it is unknown whether individuals who have been in the care of the child welfare system are at an elevated risk. Care is presently defined as statutory provision of in-home care (e.g. child living with birth family but in receipt of legal order involving supervision by social workers) or out-of-home care (e.g. foster care , residential care and kinship care). This paper presents a systematic review and...
Blog Post
Comparison of suicidal ideation, suicide attempt and suicide in children and young people in care and non-care populations: Systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence☆
Highlights •Global problem of suicidal ideation, suicide attempt and suicide among young people •Unknown if young people in care are at an elevated risk. •Systematic review comparing prevalence between care and non-care populations •Suicide attempt is more than three times as likely among those in care. •Further comparative studies are required. Abstract Suicide in children and young people is a major public health concern. However, it is unknown whether individuals who have been in the care...
Blog Post
Cracked Up: 3 Exciting Announcements [crackedupmovie.com]
By Michelle Esrick, Cracked Up Movie, April 2020 — A letter from Director Michelle Esrick — Dear friends, My heart goes out to everyone during this extremely challenging and unprecedented time. We are all experiencing what a traumatic event this is for everyone around the world -- from the reports we all hear on the news, to stories from family and friends, and for me personally being hospitalized with Covid-19. Many trauma survivors, including myself, are experiencing higher levels of...
Blog Post
Early childhood intervention approaches to mental health and substance misuse challenges
Early childhood intervention approaches to mental health and substance misuse challenges - sharing a pair of research and evidence briefings to guide practice for ACEs informed early intervention
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
England’s children commissioner calls for volunteer social workers (The Guardian)
By Sally Weale, March 31, 2020, The Guardian Anne Longfield plans to recruit retired staff to help vulnerable children amid coronavirus crisis The children’s commissioner for England has called for an army of volunteers to help support children’s social care during the coronavirus crisis in an effort to stop the most vulnerable falling through the gaps and disappearing from view. Just as doctors and nurses who left the NHS have responded to calls to return to work to help save lives, Anne...
Blog Post
Everyday coping with moral injury: The perspectives of professionals and parents involved with child protection services
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740917305285?via%3Dihub This study examines how Child Protection Services (CPS) – involved parents and professionals describe coping with moral injury through resources available within their everyday lives. Moral injury refers to the lasting harm caused by one's own or another's actions in high-stakes situations that transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectations. This harm can occur at multiple, interacting psychological, social...
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
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
Health inequalities for people with learning disabilities, including children and young people
The Institute of Health Equity at University College London has summarised research into the health inequalities for people with learning disabilities, including children and young people . Findings include: compared with the general population, children with learning disabilities are more likely to be bullied; children and young people with learning disabilities are more likely to live in poverty, have worse mental health and display more risky health behaviours; girls with learning...
Blog Post
Hidden Sentence Training by POPS (Manchester UK)
The imprisonment of a family member can have significant and long-lasting emotional and practical consequences for those who remain on the outside. Stigma and isolation often ensures these families remain hidden from statutory services, and withdrawn from community support, increasing their vulnerability. Increasing awareness is vital to ensuring these families receive the support they need to overcome the potential impact on their mental health, financial stability and social wellbeing.
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 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
Hundreds of staff brought into Scottish schools to help pupils with mental health problems
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...
Blog Post
Introduce mental health checks for new mothers, ministers told Six-week checkup would help the 50% of UK mothers with mental health problems
New mothers should receive a mental health checkup six weeks after giving birth to help tackle possible postnatal depression and other problems related to having a baby, ministers have been told. A cross-party group of 60 MPs and peers have written to Steve Brine, the minister for public health and primary care, demanding that all mothers in England have an assessment of their emotional and mental health carried out by a GP, practice nurse or health visitor. They say that making such...
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
Local group want Cumbria to be an ACEs aware and trauma-informed region by 2020 [CumbriaCrack.com]
A local group of parents, teachers and childcare professionals are aiming to revolutionise the way Cumbria thinks about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and mental health in an ambitious bid to become one of the UK’s first “ACEs aware- trauma-informed communities”. The CUMBRIA RESILIENCE PROJECT have already received interest and support for their plans from a wide range of local services, including schools, health centres, disability groups and youth services. Their social media forum...
Blog Post
Major conference to tackle childhood trauma [thirdforcenews.org.uk]
Experts from the world of child mental health are coming to Scotland to find solutions to help overcome the impact of childhood trauma. Children’s charity Kibble is hosting the European Federation of Conflict Management in Education and Care (EFeCT) conference in May in Glasgow. The event focuses on research and best practise in trauma informed care for young people. [For more on this story by Susan Smith, go to http://thirdforcenews.org.uk/tfn-news/major-conference-to-tackle-childhood-trauma ]
Blog Post
Making Connections Understanding how local agencies can better keep missing children safe
The Childrens Society Report attached...
Blog Post
Measuring Trauma-Informed Care with Online ARTIC
FREE Online ARTIC webinar for Ireland and UK Thursday, May 28, 2020, 3:00-4:00 pm BST Register today at this link The Traumatic Stress Institute (TSI) is hosting a FREE webinar for leaders in health, trauma, and trauma-informed care (TIC) to preview the new Online ARTIC, a cutting-edge online tool for measuring TIC. The Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care (ARTIC) Scale is one of the only validated measures of TIC. It measures professional and para-professional attitudes toward TIC, has...
Blog Post
Measuring Trauma-Informed Care with the Online ARTIC
FREE Online ARTIC webinar for Ireland and UK Thursday, May 28, 2020, 3:00-4:00 pm BST Register today at this link The Traumatic Stress Institute (TSI) is hosting a FREE webinar for leaders in health, trauma, and trauma-informed care (TIC) to preview the new Online ARTIC, a cutting-edge online tool for measuring TIC. The Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care (ARTIC) Scale is one of the only validated measures of TIC. It measures professional and para-professional attitudes toward TIC, has...
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
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
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
Oakgrove Hosts Trauma Informed Compassionate Schools Programme [derryjournal.com]
By Derry Journal, September 8, 2019 Oakgrove Integrated College last week became the first school in Northern Ireland to take part in the innovative ‘Trauma Informed Compassionate Schools Initiative’ – a programme designed to help educators better understand how and why Adverse Childhood Experiences can impact a child’s development. Held in the school’s assembly hall on Wednesday last, the event saw over 100 members of staff take part in the programme delivered by a team from Ulster...
Blog Post
Parental Mental Health UK Stats
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/childhealth/articles/childrenwhosefamiliesstruggletogetonaremorelikelytohavementaldisorders/2019-03-26
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...