Category: Previous resilience forums

Over recent months Nick and Ceri have been exploring a range of interventions that will promote resilience in children and young people across the London Borough of Haringey. This work has been developed from 3 different perspectives, all coming together to try and offer a more integrated model for implementation, as well as looking to ensure sustainability.

Gabrielle looked at strategies the school could use to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds or who are vulnerable, including providing a member of staff as a mentor to any child who did not appear to be thriving or who qualified for Pupil Premium funding. Although it is common for schools to offer mentoring, clear expectations and training are often not offered to staff.

Resilient adolescents (aged 13-17) were asked what helped them overcome the problems in their life through interviews and focus groups. The findings indicated that resilience was a process and included steps such as response to risk, insight, letting go and acceptance.

The whole school approach involved recognising the importance and positive impact of relationships and significant others in pupils’ lives – site supervisors, teachers, cooks, sports coaches and senior leaders alike. The participatory approach taken was used with staff and pupils to actively investigate what mechanisms support, or act as barriers to, developing resilience in a special needs school.

Sam Hart, Director of Sussex Prisoners’ Families, reports on a recent research trip to the States, in which she investigated what it means to be ‘trauma-informed.’ She hopes to show how a ‘trauma-informed’ approach can complement a resilience-building approach when working with children, young people and families who have experienced adversity, using examples from families involved with the criminal justice system.