Member's statement: Adverse Childhood Experiences
Member's statement by Mrs Ciara Ferguson on .
- MLA
- Mrs Ciara Ferguson
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 14 October 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Adverse Childhood Experiences
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5180493
Read the official Assembly record
Text
The beginning of 2025 was marked by the launch of 'The Prevalence and Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences', groundbreaking research that found that almost one in five people in society here had experienced four or more adverse childhood experiences. Now, as we approach the end of the year, the Simon Community has followed that with another new study, which was launched here last week, considering the lived experience of people here who are homeless and living in temporary or hostel accommodation. Again, it showed, devastatingly, that a significant level of adversity and trauma had been experienced. We know from the May 2025 UNICEF report 'Child Well-Being in an Unpredictable World' that the overall trend is a reduction in children's life satisfaction. That reflects the findings in the 2024 young life and times and kids' life and times surveys, which found that the well-being of 11-year-olds has declined in recent years and that, furthermore, almost half of all 16-year-olds have probable mental ill health. It is now more pressing than ever to have joined-up thinking, particularly across the Communities, Justice, Health and Education Departments, in delivering policy and legislation that will deliver an expansive vision of doing right by our children here. That should include a key focus on tackling adverse childhood experiences, which can impact on a person's physical, mental and behavioural health, quality of life and access to opportunities. We all have a duty to, once and for all, tackle child poverty, deliver housing security, improve educational attainment, provide family support services, enhance mental health and well-being services, strengthen rehabilitation and justice diversion services, and fund a mentally secure and stable future for all our young people. Every child is filled with tremendous promise and potential. We have a shared obligation to foster and protect that.
297 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.03 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.91).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.03 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.91 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 0.52 |
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 0.23 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.12 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.08 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.03 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:35 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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