The first Film Screening in Wales of Resilience: the biology of stress and the science of hope followed by refereshments & Panel discussion, giving attendees a chance to explore the insights generated by the film on attachment theory, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and trauma-informed strategies at home and at work.
Panel Facilitator: Jane Evans - Coach, speaker, trainer and media expert on the effects of childhood anxiety in daily life, and on parenting.
Jane began working in early years care and education 22 years ago as a supervisor in a pre-school, she loved it! She also worked in a pre-school for children with complex physical, learning and emotional needs and was a childminder. The children taught her so much and encouraged to study their development and needs so she could better support and care for them.
Jane now regularly delivers training to Early Years settings and speaks at conferences focusing the impact of childhood trauma and anxiety on early development.
Janine completed her general nurse training at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff in 1994. Following this she worked on the trauma wards and in general practice before specialising in women's health and sexual health. In 2008 Janine set up the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) in Cardiff and the Vale UHB, developing a multiagency service for children and adults who had experienced sexual violence. In 2012 Janine took up a secondment as the policy lead in Welsh Government for the 'Ending violence against women and domestic abuse' (Wales) Bill before taking up the position as Violent Crime and Health Liaison Manager with South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner. Janine is now the Policy Lead for Public Health and Policing, a jointly funded post between South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner and Public Health Wales, where she is working with colleagues on early intervention and the prevention of root causes of crime. This work focuses on identifying and tackling adverse childhood experiences and their affects on future generations. She continues to take an active interest in violence against women issues and remains a registered nurse.
In 2016 Janine was awarded the RCN Wales Nurse of the Year, Improving Individual & Population Health Award.
Alyson studied European Studies at Royal Holloway University of London, during which time she spent a year teaching English in Paris. For the past 18 years Alyson has worked for the Welsh Government where she has held a number of posts, working with organisations across Wales and with the UK Government. In her last role Alyson supported the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children through her role as Deputy Director for Children and Families. Alyson is now on secondment to the role of ACE Support Hub Director, working on behalf of Cymru Well Wales to meet the ambition of creating an ACE informed society and helping organisations to take an ACE informed approach to their work; enabling systems change to support early intervention and prevention and building resilience.
Alyson is a member of Bridgend Public Service Board, and a Committee member of a local voluntary group at a historic country park.The ACE Support Hub builds on the groundswell of interest which has arisen following the publication by Public Health Wales of research outlining the impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).
The vision of the Hub is to reduce the number of adversities experienced by people in Wales and to build the resilience of those who have already experienced adverse childhood experiences.
The hub's strategy involves looking at interventions and resources, but from the perspective of identification, early intervention and prevention, early help, building resilience and protective factors. The purpose of this is to ensure the broadest consideration and support system change.
After 25 years as a teacher and teacher trainer, Rob qualified as an educational psychologist in 2011. Following four years with Newport City Council, during which he helped run the Attachment Aware Schools project, he moved to Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council as Senior EP. Currently, he is working alongside colleagues from the other Gwent EP services and the Aneurin Bevan UHB's Attachment Service to develop and implement a training package for schools which aims to improve knowledge and understanding of the impact of early life adversity, and the part schools can play in addressing the resulting needs.
Professor Gordon Harold holds the Andrew and Virginia Rudd Chair and is Professor of Child and Adolescent Mental Health in the School of Psychology at the University of Sussex. He is an Associate Member of the MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics at Cardiff University, and a member of the Together for Children and Young People, Early Intervention and Enhanced Support for Vulnerable Groups Workstream (Good Practice Wales). His primary research interests focus on examining the impact of early rearing adversities (e.g. inter-parental conflict, negative parenting, parent mental health) on child and adolescent mental health (e.g. depression, anxiety, conduct problems), the interplay between genetic factors, pre-natal, post-natal rearing experiences and children's mental health, and implementing research-led practice and policy recommendations focusing on early rearing influences on child and adolescent mental health outcomes. He is a member of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Capability Committee, is a Special Advisor and member of the Evidence Panel of the Early Intervention Foundation (EIF), and is Treasurer of the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH). He is a consultant and advisor to several government departments in the UK and internationally.
Filmed in the USA, RESILIENCE: THE BIOLOGY OF STRESS & THE SCIENCE OF HOPE is a one-hour documentary that delves into the science of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the birth of a new movement among pediatricians, therapists, educators and communities, who are using cut­ting-edge brain science to disrupt cycles of violence, addiction and disease, to prevent childhood trauma, treat Toxic Stress, and greatly im­prove the health of future generations. The original US research was controversial, but the findings re­vealed the most important public health findings of a gener­ation. Now understood to be one of the leading causes of every­thing from heart disease and cancer to substance abuse and depression, extremely stressful experiences in childhood can alter brain development and have lifelong effects on health and behavior.
However, as experts and practitioners profiled in RESILIENCE are proving, what's predictable is preventable. These physi­cians, educators, social workers and communities are daring to talk about the effects of divorce, abuse and neglect. And they're using cutting edge science to help the next generation break the cycles of adversity and disease.
We know from Public Heath Wales recent publication Adverse Childhood Experiences and their impact on health-harming behaviours in the Welsh adult population that ACEs have a major impact on the development of health-harming behaviours in Wales and the prevention of ACEs is likely not only to improve the early years experiences of children born in Wales but also reduce levels of health-harming behaviours such as problem alcohol use, smoking, poor diets and violent behaviour. Further reports from this survey will detail how ACEs in Wales are associated with chronic ill health in later life such as the development of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and ultimately premature death.
When it was controversial to even think of asking patients about taboo subjects, the ACE Study dared to ask questions like, Were you sexually abused as a child? Did you have a parent who was an alcoholic? The answers produced a public health revelation. For the first time, the loss of a par­ent through death, divorce or incarceration and other traumatic childhood experiences such as living with an alcoholic parent or being sexually abused was conclusively linked to both physical and mental health problems later in life. ACE, or Acute Childhood Experiences score, are now understood to lead to early onset heart disease diabetes, addiction and depression. Under­standing that a broken-hearted child is more likely to suffer from mental and physical illnesses as an adult has professionals of all kinds asking, How can we help children before their physical and mental health problems emerge as adults?