Screening for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in Educational Settings: A Systematic Review

Why is the research needed?

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) relate to potentially traumatic events occurring in childhood (0-17 years). Such events include: experiencing abuse, neglect or violence and witnessing violence or suicide. ACEs can have significant long-term effects on children and young people’s mental health, wellbeing, and life opportunities. Schools may provide an important setting for identifying children who could benefit from additional support, but there is currently limited evidence on the effectiveness and impact of ACE screening in educational settings.

What are we doing?

We aim to better understand the existing evidence on school-based ACE screening and identify gaps to inform future research and practice.

We are conducting a systematic review of the literature on screening for ACEs in school and educational settings. Our review examines whether systematic ACE screening improves identification of adversity, referral to support services, uptake of services, and mental health and wellbeing outcomes. The review protocol has been developed and registered with PROSPERO.

How are we working with communities, services and organisations?

Our work is informed by research and practice relating to children and young people’s mental health, trauma-informed approaches, and educational support systems.

The review focuses on evidence relevant to schools, educational professionals, and services supporting children and young people affected by adversity.

What will the impact and benefits of this research be?

This project will provide an overview of the current evidence on ACE screening in schools and highlight areas where further research is needed.

The findings will support future research, service planning, and the development of evidence-informed approaches to identifying and supporting children and young people affected by adversity.

What do we have planned for knowledge mobilisation and implementation?

Findings from our review will be used to identify evidence gaps and inform future research relating to ACE identification and support in educational settings.

The review may also help inform future work on school-based approaches to supporting children and young people affected by adversity.

Related papers, outputs and resources

We will share the study findings through an open‑access publication and an NIHR ARC East of England blogpost, providing accessible summaries of what we learned. These outputs will also offer a foundation of evidence to help plan and inform future research on ACE screening.

Who is involved? 

• Joint Principal Investigator: Dr Joanna Reid, University of Cambridge 
• Joint Principal Investigator: Dr Rory Cameron, University of East Anglia (UEA)
• Krishnan Puri Sudhir, University of East Anglia (UEA)
• Dr Adam Wagner, University of East Anglia (UEA)
• Helen Risebro, University of East Anglia (UEA)

Get in contact

Email Dr Rory Cameron or Dr Joanna Reid at rory.cameron@uea.ac.uk or jpa44@cam.ac.uk.