About

The Childhood Adversity and Health and Wellbeing during COVID-19 Study were implemented by Public Health Wales and Bangor University on behalf of Bolton Council to understand the impact of ACEs on the health and well-being of adults in the Bolton Local Authority area. The data and insight are seen as critical to understanding the health needs of individuals in Bolton and supporting the development of appropriate responses. The study explored:

• The prevalence of ACEs in Bolton Local Authority;
• Relationships between ACEs and health and well-being, and;
• Resilience factors that may offer protection against the harmful impacts of ACEs.

This study identified, the extent and harmful impacts of ACEs on the Bolton population. The findings provided an understanding of how health and well-being in Bolton are affected by ACEs and can support work to prevent ACEs in future generations and develop responses for those affected by them.

• Over half of the residents reported having experienced at least one ACE before the age of 18, with over one in ten reporting four or more ACEs. In line with the existing body of evidence, the more ACEs individuals reported, the more likely they were to report harms including illicit drug use, involvement in violence, and poor mental and physical health. 

The Active Connected and Prosperous Board (our local health and wellbeing board) has agreed to develop a system-wide approach to ACEs with a strong focus on prevention and supporting people who have been affected by childhood adversity so that Bolton becomes a trauma-responsive borough.

Part of this approach will be to pilot a Trauma-Informed School Model in the town following recommendations made in a serious case review. The intention is to develop a model that puts a secondary school and the agencies who work within it, such as CAMHS, at the centre but will also encompass the main feeder primary school, the early years settings, local GP surgery and any other environment that is used by young people in the surrounding area, sports clubs for example. This development of this model will run for 12 months helping raise awareness, bring new skills and embed a new culture across that local community. Learning from this approach will be shared across local educational and mental health partnership groups with a long-term view of taking the good practice into other schools across the town. 

As part of developing a trauma-informed local workforce a cross selection of the Bolton children’s and young people’s facing roles accessed the GM Trauma training with high levels of attendees at every level of the programme. Feedback from staff has illustrated an ongoing desire for skills training and opportunities to share learning and good practices across teams. A local group of workers in front-facing roles will now come together on a bi-monthly basis to hear updates from the Greater Manchester level, and the local programme as well as share their own insights with peers.