On 27th November the Scottish Community Safety Network (SCSN) in conjunction with the Alliance screened the film Resilience at the Citadel Youth Centre in Leith, Edinburgh. The film was followed by a panel discussion with a broad theme focus on ACEs and safer communities and justice.

The Film

RESILIENCE is a one-hour documentary that investigates the science of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the implications of Toxic Stress. Toxic stress is a cause of many adverse health outcomes from heart disease and cancer to substance abuse and depression. There is also a strong link between ACEs and involvement in the justice system. Extremely stressful experiences in childhood can alter brain development and have lifelong effects on health and behaviour. This therefore justifies why ACEs are an important public health and community safety issue.

The messages within the film underpin the importance of policies to support children and families and have implications for practice e.g. trauma/adversity informed practice. The Scottish Government has an aspiration for Scotland to be the best place to grow up but to achieve that Scotland has to be the best place to parent. ACEs are relevant across the life course and across society. Referring to ACEs provides a common language for policymakers and public services.

The film has been seen by thousands of people from all over Scotland and across many different sectors and SCSN welcomed this opportunity provide a platform for community safety practitioners to watch the film and reflect on the links with their own areas of work.

Read our full Learning Report here.