Rotherham Safeguarding Children Partnership

"Early interventions are key in terms of safeguarding vulnerable young people and ensuring they don’t fall into a path of criminality. When it comes to tackling knife crime and its causes, everyone has a role to play. It should be a public health approach and it cannot be left solely to the police as often sadly, by the time we become involved, so much has been missed already.” Chief Superintendent Una Jennings, force lead for armed criminality.

Understanding how Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can have a negative impact on a person’s later life is key to the force’s approach to tackling knife crime.

We all have a role in tackling them, as professionals, people and communities.
You can help reduce ACEs by:

• Being ACE aware
• Preventing household adversity
• Supporting parents and families
• Building resilience in children and wider communities
• Creating an ACE aware community
• Encouraging wider awareness and understanding about ACEs and their impact on health and behaviour
• Using encounters with adults in services such as homelessness services, addiction, prison or maternity services, to also consider the impacts on their children or future children.