The International Health Coordination Centre’s (IHCC) International Health Newsletter promotes and shares international news, events and initiatives with partners across Wales and beyond.
The newsletter was piloted in May 2023, thereon issued quarterly.
View the latest issue here.
This report presents findings from a national household survey of adults aged 60 years and over in Wales. The survey asked about a range of adverse experiences since the age of 60, including exposure to abuse, feeling lonely or socially isolated, struggling financially, being unable to access health or social care, and feeling overwhelmed by caregiving responsibilities. The report examines relationships between these five experiences and participants’ health and wellbeing, including self-rated bad health, alcohol and tobacco use, mental health, life satisfaction and ageism experience. It finds that abuse, feeling lonely or socially isolated and struggling financially in later life are independently associated with poorer health.
The International Health Coordination Centre’s (IHCC) International Health Newsletter promotes and shares international news, events and initiatives with partners across Wales and beyond.
The newsletter was piloted in May 2023, thereon issued quarterly.
View the latest issue here.
This social innovation narrative presents a collaborative, trauma-informed research model designed to engage women at risk of entering the criminal justice system in North Wales. The narrative draws on empirical research originally conducted by the Women’s Justice Blueprint and ACE Hub Wales, which explored women’s physical and mental health, substance use, and the barriers they face when seeking support. This narrative reframes this work through a methodological lens, illustrating how innovative, multi-agency approaches enabled deeper understanding and participation.
By demonstrating how collaborative research infrastructures can enhance access, voice, and data quality, this narrative shows how methodological innovation can support more effective and inclusive responses to women’s health and justice.
This social innovation narrative presents how the Violence Prevention Team and Behavioural Science Unit collaborated on the development of an implementation plan for the Wales Without Violence Framework (2023). By applying behavioural science—and specifically the COM-B model—the Violence Prevention Team worked with professionals across sectors to explore what supports and influences their ability to embed the framework’s nine principles of violence prevention into everyday practice.
The article outlines key insights into the behaviours, barriers, and facilitators identified by practitioners, and highlights how understanding capability, opportunity, and motivation can strengthen the adoption of a public-health approach across sectors. It also reflects on how this process helped the Violence Prevention Team clarify its role within the wider prevention landscape in Wales, supporting more effective coordination and resource use.
This study examined relationships between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), school experiences and adult health outcomes in a sample of the Welsh adult general population. It found ACEs and negative school experiences (having been bullied and lower sense of school belonging) were independently associated with poorer adult mental health. Experiencing both ACEs and negative school experiences exacerbated risks of poorer mental health. The study indicates the protective role that schools may play in fostering resilience among children who experience adversity in home settings.
These case studies are co-produced with organisations and people across Wales who are leading initiatives at the community level which are already contributing to the vision for Wales to become a trauma-informed nation by working in a trauma-informed way. The purpose of these reports is to shine a light on the existing approaches, celebrate their work and continue to inform and support the implementation of the Trauma-informed Wales Framework and further development of our Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (TrACE) informed organisational toolkit.
Spotlight on Anglesey explores the journey of Anglesey in becoming a trauma-informed island. Anglesey’s journey to becoming a trauma-informed island is founded on a strengths-based approach which creates a positive psychosocial environment and a high level of community resilience.
Spotlight on Home-Start Cymru showcases their brilliant work with families in communities throughout Wales, and how trauma –informed practice can change people’s lives through , collaboration trust and support. Their trauma-informed organisational approach is a strengths-based, whole systems approach which also supports their workforce and volunteers by acknowledging their mental health and well-being.
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are stressful experiences during childhood such as child maltreatment and exposure to household difficulties including domestic violence, substance abuse, mental illness and family members being in prison. This study analysed data collected from 1,880 adult residents across Wales. It found that those who reported multiple ACEs in their childhood were significantly more likely to perceive they would be unable to cope financially during the cost-of-living crisis, independent of factors including household income level, employment status and residential deprivation.
Previous research undertaken by ACE Hub Wales indicated that community projects across Wales provide support for community members in respect of a range of adversities. Building on this research, the aim of this project is to identify and map further community projects; to understand the most effective methods of supporting these projects as well as barriers to engagement; and finally to explore the impact of services on community groups
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are stressful experiences that occur during childhood which directly hurt a child (for example, maltreatment) or affect them through the environment in which they live (for example exposure to domestic violence). The aim of this project is to identify effective interventions at the community level relating to the prevention of ACEs and to identify initiatives undertaken across Wales.
There is national and international recognition of the importance of working in a trauma informed way when interacting with others, and public statements to that effect by services and organisations in Wales. The ACE Support Hub are working with Traumatic Stress Wales to develop a “National Skills and Knowledge Framework to Respond to Trauma”. As part of this framework, and in line with the recommendation from Welsh Government, the ACE Support Hub have identified a need to better understand the use of trauma informed terminology, the definitions being attributed to the terminology and the approaches being implemented across programmes, projects and interventions (PPIs) in Wales.
Welcome to our 2020-2021 annual report sharing the highlights, achievements and impact of our work from the past year.
This timely new review led by the ACE Support Hub, provides an update on the recommendations of the original report but also reflects on the progress made in the light of the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has found that whilst gaps remain, there has been some real progress made in terms of policy legislation in both Wales and the wider UK.
This report provides an overview of what the EAT programme has achieved and consolidates evidence of impact and effectiveness generated from the programme to date.
This report explores the impact of COVID-19 and the associated health protection measures on children and young people through a review of the available literature and analysis of multi-agency data. It captures the inequitable and long-term impact that the pandemic could have on children and young people, and highlights considerations for mitigating these negative consequences.
Sharing the stories of individuals who have made a remarkable difference to those affected by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).