‘It’s too late for me, it’s not too late for the next generation’ - Abuse survivor demands Edinburgh City Council does more to protect children

An abuse survivor who ‘fell through the cracks’ in his early years has called on the council to do more to protect the Capital’s children from adverse childhood experiences.

Jay Haston, 43, from East Lothian said he is a ‘textbook example’ of an abused individual allowed to ‘fall through the cracks’.

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Jay Haston, 43, from Edinburgh and currently living in East Lothian, said he is a "textbook example” of an abused individual allowed to “fall through the cracks”.

But despite having a history of drug abuse and anti-social behaviour, Mr Haston was able to turn his life around after receiving therapy for childhood trauma.

Councillor Sue Webber has given public support to this issue.

Speaking passionately to councillors, the father-of-five said that, although it’s “too late for him”, he wants to protect future generations from abuse and neglect.

He has called on the council to redevelop their response to victims with input from The Wave Trust, a charity specialising in child trauma, for which Mr Haston is an ambassador.

“I do appreciate the irony of making a speech on violence prevention to a city which, in another life, I was responsible for causing violence to. But that, in many ways, is the very purpose,” he said.

He added: "I know what it’s like to lose faith in a system that allows you to make progress with one caseworker and then makes you start again with another one. This is why I speak with such passion because, whilst it’s much too late for me, it’s not too late for the next generation.”

Council they must do more to protect the Capital’s children from adverse childhood experiences., says survivor.

This is the only way to break the intergenerational cycle

Councillor Sue Webber has given public support to this issue and introduced a motion, Early Prevention of Adverse Childhood Experiences, which aims to ensure that all parents are supported to give children the best possible start in life .

The motion has been unanimously backed by all political parties and calls on the council to work with the Wave Trust to redevelop their early years strategy.

Speaking to the Evening News, Ms Webber said: “I welcome the decision made at full council today to adopt the WAVE Trust Pledge and support my motion.

“There continues to be a need to focus further on reducing the number of ACE’s people experience and dare I say, even be so ambitious as to embed a culture of prevention across all of our services. This is the only way to break the intergenerational cycle that appears to be engrained in our society.“

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