The Early Action Together research team, led by the National Research Lead for Public Health and Policing, Dr Michelle Mc Manus, have been invited to present a major session at this year’s LEPH 2019 conference in Glasgow: Early Action Together Programme: Moving from understanding to operationalising trauma-informed policing in Wales. 

Following on from the 2018 LEPH major session, this session will share the key findings from the £6.87 million Home Office funded National (Wales) Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Approach to Policing vulnerability programme. The transformational change programme, Early Action Together (E.A.T) is a unique collaboration between Public Health Wales and the four Welsh Police Forces and Police and Crime Commissioners, in partnership with Criminal Justice, Youth Justice and third sector organisations.

The E.A.T programme builds upon the previous work of the Police Innovation Fund (PIF) project, 'Early Intervention and Prevention (EIP): Breaking the Generational Cycle of Crime’, which investigated the role of policing in responding to vulnerability in the South Wales police force.

The E.A.T programme aims to address the lack of early intervention and preventative activity when ACEs and trauma are evident and families are at risk of poor outcomes and the associated impact this has on Policing in terms of vulnerability and crime at a national level. 

The programme set out to develop a Wales-wide approach to training and practice for vulnerability, centred on ACEs and implementing ACE and trauma- informed approaches which can be operationalised based on the needs of each local force area. The four key strategic objectives of the E.A.T programme are:

1. A competent and confident workforce to respond more effectively to vulnerability using an ACE-informed approach in policing; 
2. Organisational capacity and capability which proactively meets changing demand; 
3. A 24/7 single integrated ‘front door’ for vulnerability that signposts, supports and safeguards encompassing ‘blue light’, welfare and health services; and,
4. A whole system response to vulnerability by implementing ACE-informed approaches for operational policing and key partners

The session will present this ground breaking work currently being trialled and tested across Wales using a public health approach to policing vulnerability.