This document discusses how children in Scotland may have historically experienced higher rates of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) than other Western European countries due to factors like alcoholism, domestic violence, child abuse, and emotional neglect. If true, this could help explain Scotland's high rates of looked-after children and poor outcomes for those in foster care. The document examines historical influences on child-rearing in Scotland like Calvinism and poverty. It argues that while awareness of ACEs and children's needs have improved, structural changes are still required to fully address the issues.

1. Scotland’s Achilles Heel – the treatment of
children and young people
Carol Craig

4. Milngavie Clober Estate

6. Anda and Felliti - Adverse Childhood
Experiences

9. Have Scots historically suffered from
more ACEs than other Western
European countries?

10. Have Scots historically suffered from
more ACEs than other Western
European countries?
If so – profound implications for
looked after children.
1. More looked after children in
population
2. Quality of their care will be
an issue
3. Potentially poor outcomes
for care leavers because of
inter-generational cycles of
abuse/addiction/health
problems.

11. Four areas to consider
• Alcohol and drugs
• Domestic conflict
• Punishment and
violence
• Emotional abuse
and neglect

12. 1. Alcohol and drugs
Addiction shouldn’t
be called ‘addiction’.
It should be called
ritualized, compulsive
comfort-seeking.
Dr Daniel Sumrok, addiction
specialist

15. 2. Domestic conflict
Maryhill tenement 1971

16. 3. Punishment and violence

17. Pamela Stephenson on Billy Connolly –
‘Billy’s real story is a dark and painful
tale of a boy who was deprived of a
sense of safety in the world.
This early trauma had a massive
influence on the man he became – a
survivor of abuse whose psyche still
bears the scars, and whose resultant,
deep self- loathing prompted self-
destructive tendencies.
Readers let Billy know how much they
empathised with him, adored him and,
in many cases, shared similar stories of
violation, torture and humiliation. Far
from being rejected, Billy became a
poster child for those who seek to
overcome the challenging legacy of a
painful childhood . . . ‘
4. Emotional abuse
and neglect

18. Scots are proud of their words for verbal abuse

19. Scottish literature, biography and dramas awash with ACEs and
household dysfunction

20. Films ‘Scottish miserabilism’- e.g.
Peter McDoudall

21. German academic Peter Zenzinger
after a study of Scottish literature -
Argues that negative portrayal of life in urban Scotland
in literature exceeds that of other countries.
Singles out our ‘Calvinist heritage’ claiming it has
‘crippled the Scots emotionally’. ‘The inability to love …
is the primary curse of Scottish life. It aggravates the
sense of loneliness and isolation felt by modern
urbanised Scots to the point of neurosis.’

22. The curse of Calvinism
• Encouraged fear – not a loving God
• Promoted guilt and emotional
repression
• Founded on the belief that people
are depraved and worthless
• Extremely judgemental – dividing
people in two camps (Elect and
Damned)
• Based on moral certainty and
patriarchal authority
• Encourages punishment and
blame.
Not a good way to bring up children.

23. What’s needed for children’s
well-being
• Secure attachment
• Positive connections
• Feeling loved and
valued
• Sense of agency and
control
• Play (particularly
outdoor and
independent).

24. Things have improved
• Much less punitive, authoritarian parenting
• More awareness of what children need
• Scottish Government commitment to improving
children’s lives
• The child abuse inquiry
• Improved professional practice
• Growing grassroots movement – early years,
now ACEs.
• ACEs can help us understand
addiction/behavioural problems, reduce shame

25. What we need to be careful of
• Institutional/business as usual
response e.g. –
ACEs used as a screening tool or
pigeon holing individuals
A check-list, or performance
targets for love
• Placing too much emphasis on the
individual worker and not enough on
structural and cultural factors as
these also have to change.
• Forgetting about the importance of
poverty in childhood adversities.

26. For relevant books we have published go to
www.postcardsfromscotland.co.uk