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Promoting the Resilience of Vulnerable Young People:

Messages from Research

Mike Stein

Research Professor

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Presentation Outline

Who are vulnerable young people?

What is resilience?

Resilience and outcomes

Promoting resilience – research and practice

Final thoughts

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Vulnerable Young People?

Vulnerability and youth

Problems arise in families, getting into trouble, impact upon health and well-being

May cast a long shadow during journey into adulthood

In and out of care, ‘edge of care’, leaving care, into adulthood

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What is Resilience?

Overcoming the odds, coping, recovery Response to adversity, disadvantage,

problems Associated with individual qualities; parenting;

communities - social networks, schools; and cultures

Ecological perspective Not celebrity but ‘ordinary magic’

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Resilience and Outcomes

Resilience recognises: The journey travelled by young people Their different starting points and pathways –

not just standardised or normative outcome measures

Young people’s whole lives and the connections between different dimensions – e.g. well-being and education

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Promoting Resilience: Research and Practice

Resilient ‘children’ have had:

‘Parenting’ – supported, compensatory care Attachment, stability and continuity A sense of identity Health and wellbeing Positive educational experience Vulnerable young people missed out on

‘preventative’ resilience dimensions

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Promoting Resilience: Transitions

Left family home early, left care, young parent Homeless, on the streets, poor

accommodation Journey to adulthood – compressed and

accelerated Coping psychologically – dealing with issues

over time Vulnerable young peopled denied the

opportunities for gradual transition

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Promoting Resilience: Supporting Accommodation

Being settled in accommodation, feeling settled associated with wellbeing

Even when young people have had disrupted lives

Build on continuity where positive relationships and networks

Personalisation model of support

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Promoting Resilience: A Bridge to Learning

Substantial educational deficits – linked to earlier problems

Individual support and small group work Core subjects plus creative

opportunities Accreditation Getting back on the educational ladder Ongoing support in education and

careers

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Promoting Resilience: Providing Support

Formal support – professional relationships Informal – family and friends Mentoring - a different kind of relationship? Flexible and negotiated Purpose: instrumental---------expressive Process: service led-----------participatory

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Promoting Resilience: Social Networks

Social, arts and community projects:

Opportunities and turning points Opportunities to re-frame adversities Challenging situations Participation Positive peer influences

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Promoting Resilience – Final Thoughts

Responding to vulnerability of young people Resilience, ‘prevention’, ‘beyond childhood’ Quality of relationships makes a difference Ecological perspective - care, education,

community, social networks Integrated working to promote resilience