Good Morning
Shall we make a start to today
We have a very full day and I'm very pleased that we've also got a very full room here
We could have actually filled today probably two or three times over
So, it shows what enthusiasm and interest there is on this subject of 'Adverse Childhood
Experiences'
I'm Linda de Caestecker and I'm the Director of Public Health here, in NHS Greater Glasgow
and Clyde
But I also have the privilege of sharing what we call the ACE's hub here in Scotland
It's probably quite a grand name compared to what you'll hear about is happening in
Wales
Where we've learned a lot of their developments around ACE's
but what we're trying to do is raise awareness around Adverse Childhood Experiences across
all of Scotland
All the different agencies, professionals across society in Scotland
And importantly, to think, how might we prevent ACE's and how might we mitigate the effect
of Adverse Childhood Experiences
So, this is an important event bringing together Health Scotland and Education Scotland
Although we all meet together around various tables and community planning
I'm not aware that there's been many events bringing together public health and education
to talk about such an important subject
So it is an important event and I hope we will work together in following up the actions
that maybe we think about during today
On Monday Harry and I are actually meeting with John Swinney and a number of other members
of the cabinet around ACE's
And what's Scotland response to ACE's
So again I hope what comes out of your discussions and the presentations we can take in to that
wider discussion
Around how do we respond to ACE's in Scotland
But I also hope that you will learn things that you can take into your local situations
and your local practice
And we can learn from each other during our workshops as you will have many good examples
from your own practice
from your own workplace where you are responding to the needs of children who suffered difficult
circumstances
And how you best do that and how you do it at a school level and how we do it at a community
level.
So, what we are trying to do at the event today is to gain that common understanding
of what we all mean by Adverse Childhood Experiences
And think about the impact that has on health, on learning and on children's behaviour
To share examples of how in educational settings we try and address that
And then also to bring us together to think about, what are some of the joint bits of
work we could do in the future?
So, this is the start of a process and not the end of it
We've got some great speakers here today
and that's why it was nice to be asked to chair this because it was a really good way
that I can say that I need this day free to be able to come along to this
and I'm really looking forward to hearing the speakers
But also, when I looked at the workshop titles I thought, I'd like to go to all of these
they all look so interesting
So I think you'll have a very stimulating day.