ABSTRACT
Addressing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is complicated yet it can provide us with a good foundation for exploring this area. The main findings in this study showed that there were specific clusters of ACEs, for example parental separation and mother's mental health, and that poverty is strongly related to the clusters. If the ACEs study has helped people to understand better what harms children across the life course, then the Benevolent Childhood Experiences questionnaire helps to shift the focus on to what the best environments are for children that support them to thrive. Roubinov et al. argue that the pandemic has offered an opportunity to deepen research around adversity which can promote the science of child development and seek to inform how the widening gap between vulnerable and advantaged can be closed. Understanding ACEs has also supported services and provisions in developing ways of working that focus on relationships, safety and nurture.
