Linda Cameron
Anne Hynes
Yvonne Maycock
Eileen O’Neill
Ann Marie O’Reilly
Abstract
The capacity for a young adult to develop and overcome obstacles in
life underpins the concept of resilience building (Gilligan, 1997). A
key role of the social care worker is to ensure that young adults
growing up in the care system are afforded the best possible outcomes.
This includes social care workers helping young people build their
resilience in preparation for the transition into independent living and
aftercare. The research reported here examines the experiences and
perspectives of two residential social care workers regarding the
promotion of resilience amongst young people transitioning from
residential care to independent living. From analysis of the data
collected, three themes were identified: the importance of a secure
base, maintaining consistent and long-term relationships and challenges
faced by social care workers in building the resilience of care leavers.
Findings concur with previous research, which identified the importance
of young people having a secure base in their lives as well as
long-term relationships as a source of support to aid them in their
transition from care to independence. This research in exploring some of
the challenges of helping build the resilience of care leavers
highlights the possible value of allowing young people to engage in
positive risk taking opportunities in order to build important life
skills for independent living
