In partnership with Wrexham University’s Children’s University, ACE Hub Wales hosted a full-day event dedicated to advancing Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (TrACE)-informed education in Wales. Centering the voices of children and young people, the event showcased their perspectives, priorities, and vision for what TrACE-informed practice truly means within schools and wider education settings.
We invited colleagues to join us for a reflective, strength-based day that celebrated existing good practice across Wales while bringing partners together to collaborate, learn, and help shape the future priorities of trauma and ACE-informed education services. Supported by Welsh government, the day provided an opportunity to join up all the amazing work taking place to support everyone in and involved with education in Wales.
We were delighted that Nicola Edwards, Deputy Director for Equity in Education from Welsh Government, joined us to provide a key note speech. We are passionate about the importance of an integrated approach; bringing together all the amazing work across organisations and policy areas, all striving for the same outcome – a whole school approach to emotional and mental wellbeing.
It was fantastic to hear from the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Lynne Neagle MS, and to thank her for her incredible support in this role and previously. Her leadership and dedication has meant that our trauma and ACE- informed approach remains a priority across the education system.
The main event – three wonderful narratives from children and young people in schools from across the North Wales region. Outstanding delivery of their stories of what is important to them, hopes and aspirations. Well done to everyone, the audience and panel were gripped and their response just shows how strongly the messages were heard and received.
Huge thanks to all of our workshop hosts and afternoon speakers – we covered a huge amount of ground discussing the development of our Trauma-informed Wales public narrative, and how it is already being brought to life in foster care settings in Wales. Understanding more about the ACE Hub Wales TrACE Toolkit and the resources available to schools. We also learned about improving wellbeing for teachers and staff in the school community. And some really though provoking contributions from Professor Karen Hughes’ research on violence and injury and the fantastic approach being taken in Flintshire to develop a belonging strategy, with Plas Derwen Pupil Referral Unit.
And finally, the ‘Mappers’ from the Public Map team. They worked all day to capture thoughts, comments and ideas that lead us to the big reveal. We are already working in a Trauma and ACE informed way in education in Wales – today we have ‘co-assessed’ our approach, with our mappers revealing how far we have come.
Congratulations to everyone involved in the day, and thank you all for your contributions, energy and commitment to a Trauma and ACE-informed Wales.
In partnership with Wrexham University’s Children’s University, ACE Hub Wales hosted a full-day roadshow dedicated to advancing Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (TrACE)-informed education in Wales. Centering the voices of children and young people, the event showcased their perspectives, priorities, and vision for what TrACE-informed practice truly means within schools and wider education settings.
Watch the Film
The ACE Hub Wales Trauma and ACE (TrACE) Informed Organisations Toolkit provides a practical guide to support organisations to support them on their TrACE journey and is a key resource to support the implementation of the Trauma-Informed Wales Framework.
View the TrACE Toolkit Resources