RESILIENCE

Working positively with Looked

After Young People

RESILIENT CHILDREN

“can resist adversity, cope with uncertainty and recover more successfully from traumatic events or episodes”

Newman, T (2002)

RESILIENCE

• Normal development under difficult circumstances. Relative resistance to psychosocial risk experiences. Not an individual trait or characteristic .. A range of processes that bring together quite diverse mechanisms (Rutter)

• The human capacity to face, overcome and ultimately be strengthened and even transformed by life’s adversities and challenges .. a complex relationship of psychological inner strengths and environmental social supports (Masten)

• A good idea with enormous pragmatic value (Hart and Blincow)

FINDING RESILIENCE IN ME

Think of a time in your life when you have struggled to cope with adversity or emotional difficulty in your life and consider ‘what did you think and how did you feel’?Now discuss in your group

• What actions did you take?• Why did they help?

FINDING RESILIENCE IN ME

• Talk to family or friends• Sleep• Eat• Walk away, take time out• Counselling• Educate self about situation• Laugh• Throw self into new stuff• Seek company – or solitude• Realise you have choices• Use own skills positively• Relate to past experience• Break into manageable bits

• Peer support• Positive feedback• Retail therapy• Chocolate• Self expression• Diary writing• Spend time with animals• Take time for yourself• Spirituality• Exercise• Focus on work• Meditation• Medication

Domains of ResilienceDaniel and Wassell

Social competence Secure

base

Education

Friendships

Talents &interests

Positive values

SECURE BASE

• Provide appropriate responses to attachment style• Anticipate and rehearse problems• Respond to young person’s distress but also reach out to them• Communicate acceptance• Provide time and space to talk about loss and separation• Care needs to be predictable• Always be reliable• Ensure special rituals are maintained on birthdays and other

celebrations• Keep mementoes • Do things together

EDUCATION

• Show that learning can be fun• Seek connections between learning & life • Model positive attitudes towards learning• Give responsibility at school• Help with problem-solving skills• Identify skills and talents, encourage their

development, engage school in same • Focus on successes at school• Advocate for and champion young person’s

education

FRIENDSHIPS

• Social skills training on friendships • Role play• Help young people to see what they can offer to

their friends• Help with the notion of intimacy especially for those

who have been sexually abused• Offer advice about jealousy, gossip etc• Peer support programmes on listening and

counselling skills • Given message of the importance of friendships

TALENTS AND INTERESTS

• Be persistent and tenacious in supporting talents and interests

• Offer a range of choices of things to do• Encourage plenty of physical activity• Help young person to understand cause and

effect• Consider what you can learn from the young

person and celebrate it• Share activities • Capture moments on camera

POSITIVE VALUES

• Discuss normal dilemmas• Focus on the reasons for action• Listen and take an interest in the young

person• Praise pro-social activities• Require responsibility• Provide good role models• Provide clear rules and boundaries• Be sincere• Expect responsible behaviour

SOCIAL COMPETENCE

• Promote autonomy in decision-making• Provide help with problem solving• Help young person to build competence

through small steps towards self-efficacy• Provide lots of attention • Help young person to develop a sense of

purpose and future

RESILIENCE IN THE CHILD

• being female• secure attachment experience• an outgoing temperament as an infant• good communication skills, sociability• planner, belief in control• humour• problem solving skills, positive attitude• experience of success and achievement• religious faith• capacity to reflect

RESILIENCE IN FAMILIES

• At least one good parent-child relationship• Affection• Clear, firm consistent discipline• Support for education• Supportive long term relationship/absence

of severe discord

RESILIENCE IN COMMUNITIES

• Wide supportive network• Good housing• High standard of living• High morale school with positive policies

for behaviour, attitudes and anti-bullying• Schools with strong academic and non-

academic opportunities• Range of sport/leisure activities• Anti-discriminatory practice

7 ‘LEARNABLE’ SKILLS OF RESILIENCE

Emotional awareness or regulation Ability to identify what you are feeling and manage feelings appropriately

Impulse control Ability to tolerate ambiguity and not rush decision making

Optimism Optimistic explanatory style - wed to reality

Causal analysis Ability to view difficulties from a number of perspectives, and consider many factors

Empathy Ability to read and understand the emotions of others. Helps build relationships with others and gives social support

Self-efficacy Confidence in your ability to solve problems - involves knowing your strengths and weaknesses

Reaching Out Being prepared to take appropriate risk - a willingness to try things and view failure as part of life.

RESILIENT THERAPY: 4 NOBLE TRUTHS• Accepting : the art of maximising what you know

and then applying it to the situation at hand to achieve a better than expected outcome

• Conserving: keeping something within boundaries and preserving the good things that are within it

• Commitment: reliability and predictability – considered and balanced

• Enlisting: orchestrating the right people and organisations into the right place to make resilient moves when and where they need to be made

5 COMPARTMENTS

• Basics• Belonging• Learning• Coping• Core self

BASICS

• Good enough housing• Enough money to live• Being safe• Access and transport• Healthy diet• Exercise and fresh air• Play and leisure opportunities• Being free from prejudice and discrimination

BELONGING

• Tap into good influences• Find somewhere for the child to belong• Responsibilities and obligations• Help the child to make friends• Make sense of where the child has

come from• Get together people the child can count

on• Help the child understand his/her place

in the world

LEARNING

• Make school life work as well as possible

• Engage mentors for children• Map out career/life plan• Help the child to organise him/herself• Highlight achievement• Develop life skills

COPING

• Understanding boundaries and keeping within them

• Being brave• Solving problems• Fostering interests• Self calming/soothing• Lean on others when necessary

CORE SELF

• Instil a sense of hope• Teach the child to understand other people’s

feelings• Help the child to know him/herself• Help the child to take responsibility for

his/herself• Foster talents• There are tried and tested treatments for

specific problems – use them

SUGGESTED READING

Resilient Therapy: Hart, A and Blincow, D (2007) RoutledgeAssessing and promoting resilience in vulnerable children: Daniel, B and Wassell, S (2002) Jessica KingsleyPromoting resilience –Supporting children and young people who are in care, adopted or in need: Gilligan, R (2009) BAAFHandbook of resilience in children: Goldstein, S and Brooks, R eds. (2005) Kluwer Academic