Public Health Overview

Trauma can impact every element of life and can affect a person’s ability to engage in society

meaningfully, it can present as distressed or challenging behaviour and can ultimately affect

relationships, engagement, employment, and the ability to contribute to society in a positive and

meaningful way.

This is not inevitable and the way systems, staff and communities respond can have protective and positive effects.

There is substantial evidence identifying the detrimental impacts that adverse childhood experiences

(ACEs) can have on individuals’ health, wellbeing, and broader life opportunities. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood before the age of 18. Toxic stress from ACEs can change brain & physical development.

This may include experiences such as:

• Abuse: Physical, verbal, sexual

• Neglect: Emotional and Physical

• Exposure to alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence, household mental health problems,

• incarceration, parents separated/divorced.

• Traumatic events that occur in childhood can have an impact on adulthood too. For example, an

• increase in the risk of certain health problems.

This may include things like:

• Behavioural health concerns: lack of physical activity, smoking, alcohol, drug use, missing work

• Physical and mental health concerns: severe obesity, diabetes, depression, suicide attempts, STD’s, heart disease, cancer, stroke, COPD, Broken bones

We want people to live well, happy and in good health.

The Public Health Business Plan sets out the Directorate’s intentions to develop a significant

programme to support the Active Connected and Prosperous (ACP) Board’s ACE/Trauma Informed

agenda working closely with local system partners, services, and local people. This includes the

following components:

• Culture Change/Communications and engagement

• Leadership development/practitioner training

• ACE/Trauma Informed whole setting approaches.

In Bolton we are on a journey to work more in a trauma informed way, this is known as trauma

informed practice.

This toolkit codesigned by the Trauma Informed Communities Project (led by A Brilliant Thing CIC) is a

coordinated population approach to prevent, protect and support individuals experiencing and

exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and to mitigate the consequences of trauma and

ACEs by becoming a Trauma and ACE responsive town.

The vision is to develop Trauma Informed Communities and organisations where understanding the

impact of ACE’s and trauma is central to the values and operating framework of their working

practice.

There is evidence that supportive communities and experiences can mitigate the impact of trauma.

It takes time for organisations to become fully trauma informed. Organisations typically travel

through four stages from becoming aware to sensitive, then responsive and finally informed.

In Bolton we aim to introduce a supportive approach for organisations, which provides a framework

and resources to help increase knowledge and confidence across the system. It is acknowledged that

culture change will be gradual and will need progressive implementation over time.

We are really excited to launch this toolkit and for organisations to use and start their journey in

trauma informed practice, making a difference to the people and communities we serve.