Benefits of delivering Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) training to police: An individual perspective

Abstract

Across the United Kingdom, vulnerability is the biggest area of demand for police. However, evidence demonstrates that some forces may not be equipped to respond to the volume and nature of this demand. Beyond their statutory duties, operational police are often unaware of how to best respond to vulnerability within their roles. For many police officers and staff, there is limited training available to develop the skills needed to provide frontline support to vulnerable individuals and to signpost and refer to agencies who can provide the appropriate needs-based services. The Early Action Together (E.A.T.) program is delivering transformational change across Wales to support police and partners who wish to adopt a whole-systems response to vulnerability that enables early intervention and prevention. Drawing on the evidence around Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the impact these early experiences can have on life outcomes, training is delivered to police and partners to embed ACE- and trauma-informed approaches into everyday practice. Evaluation of the training is already evidencing some key benefits of using this approach, with officers identifying and applying rootcause understanding of crime and harm and developing public understanding of existing early intervention assets and pathways of support in their local area. However, careful consideration and planning are required to ensure that these approaches continue to be embedded beyond the life of the program.

Keywords

• Vulnerability
• trauma
• early intervention
• organizational change
• public health
• whole systems approach