1. 1 Promoting the Resilience of Vulnerable Young People: Messages from Research Mike Stein Research Professor

2. 2 Presentation Outline  Who are vulnerable young people?  What is resilience?  Resilience and outcomes  Promoting resilience – research and practice  Final thoughts

3. 3 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

4. 4 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’

5. 5 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

6. 6 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

7. 7 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

8. 8 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

9. 9 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

10. 10 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

11. 11 Promoting Resilience: Social Networks Social, arts and community projects:  Opportunities and turning points  Opportunities to re-frame adversities  Challenging situations  Participation  Positive peer influences

12. 12 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