Hampshire County Council’s first Adult ACEs Recovery Toolkit Programme
Carol Beddow, Team Manager, Family Support Service, Hampshire County Council has shared some initial findings and feedback from their first completed Adult ACEs Recovery Toolkit programme.
In total 12 parents completed the 10 week programme, including 3 who have care of their grandchildren under Special Guardianship orders.
Understanding of Adverse Childhood Experiences:
- 75% of families report an increase to their understanding of what ACEs are and how they impact on family life
- 100% of families report an increase to be able to support their/their child’s resilience and well being
- 75% of families report an increase to their understanding of how toxic stress can impact on brain development and the body’s responses
- 92% of families report an increased confidence to recognise and respond to their/their child’s emotions
- 59% of families report to have a positive approach to family life
- 75% of families report an increase in how they support their own/their child to manage ACEs
Programme Participants’ Testimonials/Feedback:
This course has been life changing for me. It has dealt with issues that have never been approached through other means of support. It created an extremely safe environment where I could share things that I have never told anyone. Doing this has set me free from some of the ongoing issues I have had with my view of myself and how others see me and given me a basis to step out of my comfort zone to start asking for support and help when I need it, which is something I have never done.
ACEs has been fantastic, and the facilitators have shown me so much where I felt I was failing. They made it fun each week and I went home feeling positive. Family life and my positivity has dramatically improved since ACEs.
They have explained things clearly and it has been a pleasure coming for 10 weeks. I have learnt so much during the course and it has already helped me so much to understand how my child’s brain and emotions are working in the way they are. I am able to cope with my own emotions in a calmer way and therefore my capacity to cope with my child’s anxieties is far greater than ever before. They’ve done a brilliant job and ACEs is a course that all parents should do!
I feel like things have now clicked into place. I’ve grown in confidence to defend my children’s emotional needs and best interests with school. We are all benefiting as a family.
I have learnt lots of new ways to deal with situations that arise with my daughter. It has helped a lot with talking to my daughter and understanding how she is feeling.
I have been referred to a lot of courses since having SGO of my 2 grandchildren. I can honestly say that this is the best course I have done. The facilitators have explained the way my grandchildren behave and WHY. We have actioned nearly everything in the home. To explain the difference in our family is impossible. We are now such a happy, relaxed family, who talk openly about emotions, the way we cope with them and that it is ok to feel that way.
The facilitators did a fantastic job of making the environment relaxed and comfortable. The group was a lovely size with a mix of experiences and ages. This group became a very safe environment to share, cry, support and love each other, even though we had never met before.
Please get in touch if you would like to know more about out Recovery Tookit Programmes.