Making sense of the 70%: awareness of the adverse childhood experience (ACE) score and trauma-informed practices of service providers in Butte County

Research has shown that exposure to trauma has long-lasting, pervasive, debilitative effects upon a person’s biological, cognitive, mental, and social functioning over their lifetime (Anda et al., 2006). The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study was developed to understand potential relationships between childhood events and health outcomes later in life (Larkin, Felitti, & Anda, 2014). Within California, a county breakdown reveals that over 70% of Butte County residents scored at least a one on the ACEs scale (Stevens, 2014). Trauma informed care (TIC) is a strengths based approach that is rooted in an understanding of trauma and responsiveness to trauma (Bassuk et al, 2017). A review of the literature reveals that TIC is well discussed in literature theoretically and through case studies, but there is little research on how TIC is implemented and viewed by providers within different fields (Donisch, Bray, & Gewirtz, 2016). Using a mixed method online survey, this research project examined Butte County providers’ awareness of Adverse Childhood Experience Score (ACES) and trauma-informed practices in the fields of medicine, education and social services serving Butte County (N=164). Recommendations for further study, a discussion of the findings, and implications for social work practice are discussed.