BRACES: Building Resilience with ACEs interventions

BRACES: Building Resilience with ACEs interventions

Resilience

What is BRACEs?

Formed in March 2021, the League of Women Voters of Idaho’s BRACEs committee (“Building Resilience with ACEs Interventions”) is working with the LWVID Board of Directors to share information about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) research, science, and effectiveness of interventions with League members, the public, and with Idaho legislators. ACEs is shorthand for science related to the lifelong damage to physical and behavioral health that can be caused by traumatic or toxic stress in childhood. When prevention is not possible and supportive intervention is not received, the damage has negative impacts on both the economy and quality of life for all Idahoans.

What is BRACEs’ Goal? 

One major committee focus was to have the Idaho legislature formally recognize the impact of ACEs, as other states have done, and pass ACEs-informed legislation that would support effective interventions and care for children and adults who have experienced trauma. 

During the 2022 Idaho Legislative Session, both the House and Senate passed HCR 29 which enumerates known impacts of ACEs and shares that information with state entities working with vulnerable children and adults. HCR 29 encourages state departments and agencies to implement evidence-based interventions and practices to develop resiliency in those suffering from trauma-related disorders. 

HCR 29 was particularly timely because the Idaho Behavioral Health Council recently completed its Strategic Action Plan, which includes references to ACEs and ACEs interventions. 

Now the work of the committee is to build on HCR 29 by continuing to inform legislators and League members about ACEs as well as ways to better build resilience in Idaho communities.

How Can I Find Out More About BRACEs?

Watch this video of the October 13, 2021 presentation by members of the BRACEs committee who provided an update on the committee’s progress, including efforts to support and build on the work of the Idaho Behavioral Health Council (IBHC). The new IBHC Strategic Action plan includes collecting data and expanding public awareness of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs), as well as identifying “opportunities to enhance protective factors and promote long-term resiliency in children and youth who have experienced trauma.”

How Can I Find Out About the Idaho Behavioral Health Council (IBHC)?

Watch this video of the October 6, 2021 presentation by David (Dave) Jeppesen, Director of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare who spoke about the Idaho Behavioral Health Council and its new Strategic Action Plan. The council was established in 2020 to bring together all three branches of state government, local governments, and community partners to develop a statewide plan to ensure an effective, efficient, recovery-oriented healthcare system for all adults, children, and their families who live with mental illness and addiction.

How Can I Find Out About Building Resilience in Children? 

On February 22, 2022, the League of Women Voters of Pocatello sponsored a public forum, “Building Resilience in Children” during which members of a panel discussed Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), their impact on a child's future, and how evidence-based practices can help by preventing or mitigating the toxic impact of these experiences so to build resiliency in children. Panelists included Rhonda Allenger, LISW, with 23 years’ experience in community mental health; Darcie DeLeon, LMSW, with 14 years’ experience working with children and families; Holly Whitworth, a Child Development Specialist and manager of the Teachers as Parents program; Teresa Fritsch, school psychologist and state delegate for the Idaho School Psychologist Association; and Kathy Dawes, co-chair of the Idaho League BRACEs (Building Resilience with ACEs Interventions) committee. 

How Can I Find Out More About ACEs?

Additional Resources referred to in the presentations noted above:

Additional Resources about ACEs and Resilience in Idaho:

 Additional Resource about ACEs:

A 15-minute TED Talk by Nadine Burke Harris (Sept. 2014): How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime

What League Positions Inform BRACEs’ Work?

Our committee’s work is based on the following national League positions and policies:

  1. From page 143: Impact on Issues 2020-2022

Early Intervention for Children at Risk

The League’s Position

Statement of Position on Early Intervention for Children at Risk, as adopted by the 1994 Convention:

The League of Women Voters of the United States believes that early intervention and prevention measures are effective in helping children reach their full potential. The League supports policies and programs at all levels of the community and government that promote the well-being, encourage the full development, and ensure the safety of all children.

  1. From page 129-131 Impact on Issues 2020-2022

Health Care

The League’s Position

Statement of Position on Health Care, as announced by the National Board, April 1993 and supplemented by concurrence to add Behavioral Health, June 2016:

BASIC LEVEL OF QUALITY CARE: Every U.S. resident should have access to a basic level of care that includes the prevention of disease, health promotion and education, primary care (including prenatal and reproductive health), acute care, long-term care, and mental health care. Every U.S. resident should have access to affordable, quality in- and out-patient behavioral health care, including needed medications and supportive service that is integrated with, and achieves parity with, physical health care.

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH: The League supports:

  • Behavioral health care that is integrated with, and achieves parity with, physical health care
  • Health education—from early childhood throughout life—that integrates all aspects of social, emotional, and physical health and wellness.
  • Efforts to decrease the stigmatization of, and normalize, behavioral health problems and care

What if I have Questions?

Contact: Co-Chairs Kathy Dawes and Anne Cheadle at: lwvid1944 [at] gmail.com