This blog began in 2018 in response to growing interest in ACEs – or Adverse Childhood Experiences in Scotland. As academics, we were fascinated by the speed at which the concept had been popularised, and the extent to which it was shaping policy and practice across social care domains. Through the blog and seminars, we […]

Our seminar on 11 March 2019 was led by Professor Jane Callaghan, Director Child Wellbeing & Protection at Stirling University. In the seminar, Jane explored the values inherent in the ACE model and the determinism underpinning how trauma is understood. Using a feminist lens, the gendered assumptions and implications of the model were highlighted. Ostensibly […]

CRFR co-director Dr Emma Davidson summarises the key themes emerging from our recent seminar reflecting on the emergent ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and resilience agenda in Scotland. Originally posted 11th December 2018 We began a conversation on ACEs and resilience in December 2017 at the seminar, ‘The Troubling Concept of Resilience’, where Dr Eric Carlin and myself […]

Dr Caralyn Blaisdell from the University of Strathclyde continues our discussion on the theme of resilience and how this term is being used, with specific reference to early years.  Originally posted 10th December 2018 As an experienced practitioner, researcher and lecturer specializing in early childhood education, I have had a mixed reaction to the recent […]

In recent years, tackling Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and fostering ‘resilience’ has become a central dimension of early years, education, youth and family policy. Researchers associated with the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships (CRFR), University of Edinburgh, have been interested in the rising ACEs agenda and, in particular, its prominence in Scottish social […]