In our criteria and on our form we have used a number of terms that it may be useful to explain further:
Adverse Childhood Experiences
We are use this term to recognise traumatic events that occur during childhood that can have a significant impact on a person’s physical, emotional and mental health throughout their life. Examples include:
- abuse – physical, sexual or psychological/emotional
- neglect – physical or psychological/emotional
- domestic abuse
- substance misuse by a close family member
- mental illness of a close family member
- having a close family member serve time in prison
- parental or caregiver separation or divorce on account of relationship breakdown
We recognise the charities that work to prevent the occurrence of and/or support recovery from ACE’s cover a broad range of activities including working with victims of child sexual exploitation, county lines, gangs, those cared for by the local authority, homelessness, human trafficking, asylum seekers and refugees etc.
Area of Deprivation
We recognise all relative measures of deprivation as tracked by the Indices of Deprivation or similar tools. We ask you who your work helps and why this is needed for that group or in that area so you can explain the need that exists there.
Trauma Informed Approach
A trauma-informed approach aims to provide an environment where a person who has experienced trauma feels safe and can develop trust. This means people at every level of an organisation (including volunteers) develop an understanding of trauma, its symptoms and its impact, which then influences their work. This reduces the risk of excluding people who have experienced trauma. Many organisations describe it as a cultural shift rather than simply a behavioural one as the approach is integrated into policy, procedures, practice and environment.
Evidence Based
When wishing to support evidence based work, we are looking for charities that use
– the best research evidence
– the expertise of their staff and volunteers, and
– the lived experiences and voices of the children and young people they help when designing, learning and improving, and providing their services.