Throughout the year, we will be shining the spotlight on a service, community, team or individual putting ACEs or trauma informed approaches at the heart of what they do. Caring for Communities and People (CCP) is a Cheltenham based charity,.
Tell us more about CCP
CCP is a registered charity that exists to prevent the causes and reduce the effects of homelessness, family breakdown and exclusion. The charity opened a hostel in 1989 in response to the growing number of homeless young people in Cheltenham. Most homeless young people arriving at our doors recounted stories of family breakdown and chaotic lifestyles through their childhood years, living through circumstances that would later become known as ACEs. Within three years of opening the hostel, we set up a family support service to work preventatively with the aim of stabilising families and preventing homelessness.
Who do you work with?
In addition to supporting homeless young people, we work with vulnerable families, helping to build the skills and resilience of parents and young people with the aim of breaking cycles of adverse childhood experiences. We offer the following services:
o Family Mediation
o Positive parenting support and groups
o School Transition work
o Targeted Behaviour Support
o Mentoring
o Healthy lifestyles support
o Positive play and attachment support
o Community engagement support
o Befriending
o Positive change within the home
When did you first hear about ACEs?
We have been aware of the damaging and long lasting consequences that adverse experiences can have on children since we first began working with homeless young people and their families almost 30 years ago. We’re pleased that the recent Gloucestershire ACEs movement has served as a catalyst to raise awareness of ACEs and we have been on board from the outset.
Since learning about ACEs, what has CCP being doing to take action?
Our family work is focused on preventing and breaking the cycle of ACEs. Our staff are all trained in ACEs awareness and we have implemented ACEs and resilience into our mandatory staff induction and safeguarding training. We are part of the GCC ACEs training development board and attend the Gloucestershire ACEs steering groups and conferences. We are part of the ACEs paperwork pilot and are actively using the resources created for Gloucestershire with the children of families we work with. Through our Gloucestershire-wide family support service, we run Solihull positive parenting groups which reflect the importance of parents understanding and minimising the impact of ACEs.
Can you tell us a story where being aware of the science of ACEs and resilience has made a difference?
We worked with a family where three generations of the same family lived together and were leading chaotic lifestyles. As part of our intervention, we worked with the parents to introduce them to the concept of ACEs and demonstrate how their actions had consequences and could cascade down through the generations. Their acceptance of this concept represented the first step in breaking the cycle of ACEs.
What would your advice be for other organisations and communities who want to take action on ACEs and be involved with Action on ACEs?
Everyone should be ACEs aware no matter what setting they are in or what age they come into contact with. We all have a part to play in building resilience within families and communities.
To find out more about CCP please visit https://www.ccp.org.uk/
ACEs Gloucestershire : About CCP Cheltenham from Kava on Vimeo.
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