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The concept of "resilience" in children is one that has been receiving increasing attention in recent years. This report¹ examines the role of resilience factors in relation to children going through significant life transitions. The authors define resilience as the ability to bounce back from adversity. It can be seen as an important factor when it comes to children coping with the challenges they meet.

Whether the transition a child experiences in moving from one developmental stage to another, a bereavement or other loss, entering or leaving care or changing schools, their level of resilience will play a key part in determining how that transition is handled and what effects it may have.


Children who show this capacity for resilience will be better equipped to handle change and uncertainty and to cope with stress and adversity. They will also recover faster from any traumatic experiences they may undergo.

The report draws on a major review of the literature in this field, The International Resilience Project.² An important finding was that the concept of resilience can be seen to apply across countries and cultures (there were 30 countries covered in the study). The particular emphasis of the study was on integrating theory and practice and developing strategies for promoting resilience. Resilience factors can also be seen to apply in three areas or domains: the individual, the family and the external environment. It can therefore be promoted at these three different levels.

Another important issue identified in the study is the significant role of poverty and deprivation. Where these factors were present, additional difficulties in achieving resilience could be noted. For example, in terms of both education and health outcomes, inequality was identified as an obstacle. Given what we already know about the significance of poverty and deprivation in people's lives (and in the lives of children in particular), it is perhaps not surprising to learn that these factors are also problematic in relation to resilience.

The authors also address the significance of risk, and wonder whether the current emphasis on reducing risk may be having an adverse effect on the development of resilience. They ask whether it is possible to achieve a better balance between protecting children from risks and providing them with the developmental opportunities they need if they are to develop resilience.


These are important issues to consider in today's "risk society" in which, if we are not careful, we can become obsessed with risk reduction strategies without realising that reducing risks in some areas can create risks in others. In my view, the important challenge is that of developing effective approaches to risk management, rather than the simplistic emphasis on risk reduction that has taken root in some places. By risk management I mean the assessment of the risk factors involved and the careful weighing up of sets of risks. Risk is a multidimensional concept and not simply a "bad thing" to be avoided. This report helps to challenge simplistic approaches and is therefore a welcome contribution to the debate.

The strength of the resilience approach is that it focuses on those factors which play a positive role in promoting well-being, rather than simply concentrating on a defensive reaction to those circumstances which present a degree of risk.

Neil Thompson is an independent trainer and consultant with Avenue Consulting

¹ Tony Newman and Sarah Blackburn, Transitions in the Lives of Children and Young People: Resilience Factors, Barnardo's policy, research and influencing unit, 2002

²  Edith Grotberg, "The International Resilience Project: Findings from the Research and the Effectiveness of Interventions", in Psychology and Education in the 21st Century: Proceedings of the 54th Annual Convention of the International Council of Psychologists, ICPress, 1997