Population mental health Liverpool City Region (LCR) Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Research Alliance
The Liverpool City Region (LCR) Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Research Alliance is a new partnership bringing together the NHS, universities, local authorities and voluntary sector bodies. The aim of the collaboration is to research how we can better prevent ACEs and improve the prospects and outcomes of people who have gone through adverse experiences and trauma in childhood.
LCR ACEs Research Alliance has been set up by M-RIC Lead Investigator Professor Rhiannon Corcoran and Professor Zara Quigg from Liverpool John Moores University.
What is an ACE?
ACEs are stressful and traumatic events in a person’s childhood that can impact the rest of their lives. They could include abuse (sexual, physical and/or emotional), neglect (emotional and/or physical) or growing up in a household where there is:
- adults with drug and alcohol problems
- adults with mental health problems
- domestic violence
- adults who have spent time in prison
- parents who have separated.
For a full list of ACEs and a list of additional ACEs defined by the community in Liverpool visit the Liverpool Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services website.
In Merseyside, 49.9% of adults report experiencing ACEs, and 12.2% four or more (Quigg et al, 2025).
What is the aim of the LCR ACEs Research Alliance?
- To understand the impact of ACEs
- To identify research needs, conduct research and disseminate research findings about ACEs
- To prevent ACEs and their life course consequences
- To improve the delivery of services within the wider health and care system so that they become ‘trauma informed’. This means services take an approach that recognises the impact that being exposed to trauma as a child or young person can have upon a person’s neurological, biological, psychological and social development and respond with this in mind
- To make Liverpool City Region the first ACEs-informed city region in the country.
How does the LCR ACEs Research Alliance link to M-RIC?
Professor Rhiannon Corcoran is co-leading the alliance as part of M-RIC’s research work package to improve population mental health. ACEs are known to impact life course mental health and wellbeing.
Which organisations are part of the LCR ACEs Research Alliance?
The alliance, which continues to grow, includes:
- M-RIC
- The University of Liverpool
- Liverpool John Moores University
- Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
- The Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership
- Merseyside Police
- Liverpool City Council
- Sefton Council
- Knowsley Council
- St Helens Borough Council
- Alder Hey NHS Foundation Trust
- Merseyside Youth Association
- Young Person’s Advisory Service
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
- PSS
- Edge Hill University
How to get involved?
- Do you have a research idea that could support our work or increase collaboration?
- Do you work for an organisation who could contribute to the Liverpool City Region ACEs Alliance?
To contact our researchers about the Liverpool City Region ACEs Alliance, please complete our contact us form – please make sure you choose the option population mental health research work package.
Do you live in Liverpool and need ACEs support?
Growing Stronger is designed to help people in Liverpool of all ages grow and recover from Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs. View the Growing Stronger website to develop an understanding of ACEs and learn ways to help yourself and find out about places locally in Liverpool where you can get help and support. The website also contains useful information about training and opportunities to learn more.
ACEs voices
Take a look at a collection of stories, poems and creative work from people who have experienced and overcome childhood trauma in our ACEs voices webpage. The firsthand accounts have been collected by M-RIC as part of our work on population mental health and Liverpool City Region (LCR) Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Research Alliance. The aim is to empower people to tell their stories which will help increase wider understanding of the impact of ACEs