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Sana Batool
The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funded Attune Project hosted its second Impact and Dissemination Conference in Oxford in October, marking a pivotal moment in the project’s four-year journey exploring Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), which include but are not limited to family bereavement, homelessness, violence and sexual abuse, and their impact on young people's mental health.
Funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), Attune is a collaborative initiative between the University of Oxford and Falmouth University. The project’s interdisciplinary approach, combining arts-based, social science, and health research, has highlighted innovative ways to approach trauma-informed care. Attune's aim is to uncover what factors determine how ACEs affect young people's (aged 18-24) mental health, and whether the sorts of art and gaming interventions such as those developed by Attune are beneficial and effective for young people who may have experienced ACEs.
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What is trauma-informed practice? Trauma-informed practice acknowledges the need to see beyond an individual’s presenting behaviours and to ask, ‘what does this person need?’ rather than ‘what is wrong with this person?’ Read more about trauma-informed practice. |
At the heart of the conference was the showcase of two significant resources co-designed by young participants and researchers: a serious digital game called Ace of Hearts, and a trauma-informed educational resource called Validating Voices.
Ace of Hearts is a series of serious mini games led by Professor Eunice Ma. They address ACEs by offering an interactive platform where young people can engage with different scenarios based on lived experiences such as being a young carer or coping with bereavement. The aim is to improve practices in trauma-informed care by making stakeholders and professionals aware of situations that young people may be facing, and to help individuals going through unpleasant experiences by recognising what they may be experiencing.
Validating Voices is a trauma-informed educational tool, which was co-produced and co-designed by young people and stakeholders in three geographic regions of England; Cornwall, Kent and Yorkshire. The resource itself is a physical set of cards designed to help organisations become more sensitive to the experiences of young people, particularly those who have experienced trauma. Alongside the cards there are activities on the Attune website which organisations can ‘tap’ into when needed. One of Attune’s postdoctoral researchers, Dr Luke Allder, explained that the resource focuses on transforming learning into action by encouraging professionals and young people to have meaningful conversations, and will be implemented over six months in six settings and then refined based on feedback. The ultimate aim is to build trauma-informed organisational cultures that protect and support young people. Validating Voices is a collective effort involving investigators, young people and partner organisations. This work within Attune is led by Professor Siobhan Hugh-Jones at the University of Leeds.
Anna Mankee-Williams, Associate Professor at Falmouth University and Co-Investigator of Attune, emphasised the broader implications of the project’s findings on policy and practice while speaking at the conference. During her speech, Anna highlighted how the co-designed resources that feature in Validating Voices and Ace of Hearts have been borne out of findings from previous work packages within Attune.
© Sana BatoolATTUNE conference banners and bags
Nina, a young participant in the project, reflected on the importance of building trust when working with young people. “As that trust builds up over the weeks, young people are more willing to engage,” Nina shared, underscoring the need to create safe spaces for youth participation in trauma-informed care. This insight has directly influenced how the resources were designed, ensuring they are flexible enough to accommodate varying levels of participation and engagement.
Dr Georgina Hosang and Dr Laura Havers, Queen Mary University of London, explained the quantitative data underpinning the project. They shared that data from more than 30,000 people aims to reveal which personal and contextual factors best explain mental health outcomes following ACEs. Dr Hosang acknowledged the need for further research into how intersecting social identities, like gender and sexual orientation, affect ACEs and mental health outcomes.
As the conference drew to a close, there was a real sense of optimism and momentum. The resources developed have the potential to make a tangible difference in how trauma-informed care is approached, especially in organisations working directly with young people who have experienced adversity. Attendees discussed the importance of continued collaboration between researchers, practitioners, and young people to refine and implement these tools effectively.
Professor Kamaldeep Bhui, Principal Investigator of the Attune Project, emphasised the importance of courage, patience, kindness, and commitment in the work ahead. He acknowledged the achievements so far but stressed that much remains to be done. He said:
We've shown that young people want to talk about adverse childhood experiences. We've shown that there is a way to talk about it and discuss it. This is a way to transform what are difficult memories and experiences into something beautiful that they can reflect on and communicate how they feel, but also that they're not trapped by those experiences."
The project has placed lived experiences of emotional and social distress at its core, assembling a rich body of knowledge to inform public health resources and serious games focused on trauma-informed care. Kam called upon all attendees to continue supporting the work to ensure that youth-centred care transforms young people's lives for the better.
While the work is from Attune project may be drawing to a close in August 2025, there is more work to be conducted surrounding adolescent mental health, ACEs and creative methodologies.
The Attune Project has laid critical groundwork for embedding trauma-informed practices in various sectors. The next steps involve not only evaluating the impact of these resources but also expanding their reach to ensure they become an integral part of organisational training and policy development. The Attune project team includes; clinicians, statisticians, health economists, academics, artists and experts in performance arts, and highlights the mighty power of working across disciplines to achieve one core common goal. We hope the project will pave the way for more interdisciplinary projects in adolescent mental health.
The team are grateful to the UKRI for funding and to the NIHR Oxford and Thames Valley ARC for their continued support.