TY - CONF

T1 - A Process and feasibility evaluation of the pilot Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Informed Approach to Policing Vulnerability Training

AU - Ford, Katharine

AU - Newbury, Annemarie

AU - Meredith, Zoe

AU - Evans, Jessica

AU - Roderick, Janine

PY - 2017

Y1 - 2017

N2 - 1. What was the aim of your project/research? (Explain why this is a key public health issue and how it links to the principles of prudent healthcare, the Well-being of Future Generations Act) Demand for the Police in Wales has shifted in recent years from crime to incidents categorised as complex welfare, public safety and vulnerability (HMIC, 2015). There has been an associated recognition that policing needs to revisit its response to vulnerability as the police may be well-placed to identify individuals who are suffering or at risk of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs; e.g. child abuse, growing up in a household with parental separation; Bellis et al., 2016). ACEs have a detrimental impact on health and wellbeing across the life course. Reducing ACEs and prioritising early intervention is a national priority in Wales (Welsh Government, 2016), and aligns with the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 to improve the well-being of people in Wales. Research in 2016/17 with South Wales Police (SWP) identified a training need for the frontline workforce when working with vulnerability: staff reported limited knowledge and understanding of ACEs or the impact of trauma and attended incidents which they felt insufficiently trained for (Ford et al., 2017). This presentation examines the outcomes of a pilot training programme from an independent evaluation conducted by Public Health Wales. The feasibility evaluation aimed to inform the development of the pilot training, provide a baseline for monitoring progress of future work and understand potential for roll out and scale up. 2. Where did it happen and who was involved? (What was the context of the project/research?) An ACE Informed Approach to Policing Vulnerability Training (AIAPVT) programme was delivered to a pilot area of SWP force in 2017. Training was delivered by ACE coordinators from NSPCC and Barnardo’s to frontline police staff including Response and Neighbourhood teams. 3. What did you do? (What methods were used to take the project/research? Include any evidence based interventions or actions) 151 operational police staff took part in the pilot evaluation. Participants’ attitudes towards working with people who have experienced trauma were measured using the Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care (ARTIC-35) Scale pre- and post- training. Questionnaires were also used explore opinions on the content and delivery of the training, the potential impact of the training on their policing, barriers to adopting AIAPV and perceived benefits to the public. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted post- training with participants, ACE coordinators and SWP Learning and Development Services to further explore the impact of the training on practice. 4. What were the results and impact of your project/research? (Include any evaluation of your project/research. Please also include how this could be applied to other sectors, geographies or settings.) This pilot demonstrates that participation in ACE informed training has a range of positive effects on staff wellbeing and the response to vulnerability by the police. Over nine in ten participants stated that they agreed or strongly agreed that the content of the course was relevant to their role and that they had developed knowledge and skills from the training to improve their practice. Over a third (36%) reported that following attendance they would be more likely to seek formal support services from SWP after attending a traumatic event. 5. What did you learn? (How can others learn from your work and what are the implications for practice on a population wide basis?) SWP recognise the importance of developing their response to vulnerability and ensuring early intervention (SWP, 2016). The findings of this pilot offer learning for how trauma-informed training can be structured and delivered to other staff, including the barriers to this. The learning is also of relevance to other organisations beyond policing seeking to deliver this style of training. References Bellis MA, Ashton K, Hughes K, Ford K, Bishop J, Paranjothy S. 2016. Adverse Childhood Experiences and their impact on health-harming behaviours in the Welsh adult population. 1-36. Cardiff, Public Health Wales NHS Trust. Ford, K., Kelly, S., Evans, J., Newbury, A., Meredith, Z and Roderick, J. (2017) Adverse Childhood Experiences: Breaking the Generational Cycle of Crime. Turning Understanding into Action: Summary Report. Public Health Wales. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary for England and Wales. 2016. PEEL: Police effectiveness 2015. A national overview. South Wales Police & Crime Commissioner. 2016. Police & Crime Reduction Plan 2016-2021. Welsh Government (2016) Taking Wales Forward 2016-202.

AB - 1. What was the aim of your project/research? (Explain why this is a key public health issue and how it links to the principles of prudent healthcare, the Well-being of Future Generations Act) Demand for the Police in Wales has shifted in recent years from crime to incidents categorised as complex welfare, public safety and vulnerability (HMIC, 2015). There has been an associated recognition that policing needs to revisit its response to vulnerability as the police may be well-placed to identify individuals who are suffering or at risk of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs; e.g. child abuse, growing up in a household with parental separation; Bellis et al., 2016). ACEs have a detrimental impact on health and wellbeing across the life course. Reducing ACEs and prioritising early intervention is a national priority in Wales (Welsh Government, 2016), and aligns with the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 to improve the well-being of people in Wales. Research in 2016/17 with South Wales Police (SWP) identified a training need for the frontline workforce when working with vulnerability: staff reported limited knowledge and understanding of ACEs or the impact of trauma and attended incidents which they felt insufficiently trained for (Ford et al., 2017). This presentation examines the outcomes of a pilot training programme from an independent evaluation conducted by Public Health Wales. The feasibility evaluation aimed to inform the development of the pilot training, provide a baseline for monitoring progress of future work and understand potential for roll out and scale up. 2. Where did it happen and who was involved? (What was the context of the project/research?) An ACE Informed Approach to Policing Vulnerability Training (AIAPVT) programme was delivered to a pilot area of SWP force in 2017. Training was delivered by ACE coordinators from NSPCC and Barnardo’s to frontline police staff including Response and Neighbourhood teams. 3. What did you do? (What methods were used to take the project/research? Include any evidence based interventions or actions) 151 operational police staff took part in the pilot evaluation. Participants’ attitudes towards working with people who have experienced trauma were measured using the Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care (ARTIC-35) Scale pre- and post- training. Questionnaires were also used explore opinions on the content and delivery of the training, the potential impact of the training on their policing, barriers to adopting AIAPV and perceived benefits to the public. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted post- training with participants, ACE coordinators and SWP Learning and Development Services to further explore the impact of the training on practice. 4. What were the results and impact of your project/research? (Include any evaluation of your project/research. Please also include how this could be applied to other sectors, geographies or settings.) This pilot demonstrates that participation in ACE informed training has a range of positive effects on staff wellbeing and the response to vulnerability by the police. Over nine in ten participants stated that they agreed or strongly agreed that the content of the course was relevant to their role and that they had developed knowledge and skills from the training to improve their practice. Over a third (36%) reported that following attendance they would be more likely to seek formal support services from SWP after attending a traumatic event. 5. What did you learn? (How can others learn from your work and what are the implications for practice on a population wide basis?) SWP recognise the importance of developing their response to vulnerability and ensuring early intervention (SWP, 2016). The findings of this pilot offer learning for how trauma-informed training can be structured and delivered to other staff, including the barriers to this. The learning is also of relevance to other organisations beyond policing seeking to deliver this style of training. References Bellis MA, Ashton K, Hughes K, Ford K, Bishop J, Paranjothy S. 2016. Adverse Childhood Experiences and their impact on health-harming behaviours in the Welsh adult population. 1-36. Cardiff, Public Health Wales NHS Trust. Ford, K., Kelly, S., Evans, J., Newbury, A., Meredith, Z and Roderick, J. (2017) Adverse Childhood Experiences: Breaking the Generational Cycle of Crime. Turning Understanding into Action: Summary Report. Public Health Wales. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary for England and Wales. 2016. PEEL: Police effectiveness 2015. A national overview. South Wales Police & Crime Commissioner. 2016. Police & Crime Reduction Plan 2016-2021. Welsh Government (2016) Taking Wales Forward 2016-202.

M3 - Poster

ER -