The arrival of the ACEs movement in Scotland: Policy entrepreneurship and critical activist responses

Abstract

This paper combines conceptual and documentary analysis to critique the recent introduction of ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) in Scottish social policy, highlighting the role of the ACE-Aware Nation ‘movement’ and its positioning of the ACEs model through its campaigning activities. Consideration is given to the role of a sophisticated network of policy entrepreneurs and the commercial and political interests at play. Reflection is offered on the critical activist responses to this campaign that seek to highlight the socio-economic and political underpinnings of childhood trauma, which are largely absent in the ACEs model. The argument is that these policy developments amount to a recent turn to the ACEs model as a simplistic solution to complex social problems – a solution that is shown to be ultimately flawed in several respects. This analysis reveals the contradictions, conflicts and confusion that have emerged within the ACEs discourse, caused in the main by heuristic thinking and the conceptual inadequacies, misuses and misunderstandings of the ACEs model. The paper concludes that policy makers and practitioners should exercise caution in their appraisal of the ACEs model and the associated movement in Scotland.

Compassion Fatigue and Behaviours that Challenge in the Classroom

“…Their resources must never be considered inexhaustible. Neither the individual teacher nor the school, no matter how compassionate or trauma informed should be expected to wholly alleviate the potentially negative impact of childhoods marred by poverty, neglect, violence, abuse, or substance misuse (Walsh, 2020). Radical action to tackle the root causes of adversity in our social and economic structures and to equip schools with the resources necessary to play their role in supporting children and families remains needed (Hanley at al, 2017).…”

“…Radical action to tackle the root causes of adversity in our social and economic structures and to equip schools with the resources necessary to play their role in supporting children and families remains needed (Hanley at al, 2017). Teacher well-being should be a priority, but our efforts to promote it must incorporate an awareness of the structural challenges schools may face and avoid the trap of individualising the management of distress which presents as behaviour that challenges, whether for the child or in the teacher (Walsh, 2020).…”

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

“…Although across the two principal documents there are references to recommended reading and supporting documents, the evidence for this widespread agreement or for the scientific revolution is not made apparent through the kind of extensive literature review one might expect from a piece of work making such grand claims. The evidence to support the programme is taken (almost entirely) from the Welsh ACEs studies (Bellis et al, 2016); the other (Brown et al, 2009) is co-authored by Anda, one of the authors of the original ACEs studies, who has now rowed back on several key assertions of these (Walsh, 2020).…”

The Scylla state: an alternative understanding of survival sex work and addiction

“…Within this environment, Megan describes how what Duke et al (2013) and Thomas et al (2019) term 'policy entrepreneurs' profited from and continued to thrive on this exploitation (Fomiatti et al, 2019;Roy and Buchanan, 2013;Walsh, 2020). Referring to a prominent New Recovery academic, Megan remarked:…”

“…Such ruthless and cynical self-promotion at the expense of genuine voices exemplifies the pernicious influence of creeping philanthrocapitalism, fuelling the New Recovery Politico-Industrial Complex (Clark and McGoey, 2018). Resultantly, the convergence of neoliberal ideals and free market practices in public services can be argued to obfuscate the roots of addiction in marginalisation as eager individuals clamour to capitalise on politicised issues (Bone, 2012;Roy and Buchanan, 2016;Shapiro, 2012;Walsh, 2020;Watson, 2012).…”