ABSTRACT

In this chapter, the author takes a sociological perspective of transitioning out of care to independence and reflects on the concept of resilience in this context. While resilience is a contentious term in this area, the author argues that resilience can be understood not as an individual resource but as a way of understanding and supporting a care leaver’s experience in society. This chapter draws on concepts such as social capital and meaning making to explore how care leavers come to understand their place in society and their relationship to others—and how the conception of “independence” and not asking for support can be conflated through childhood experience. Taking this broader social approach has the potential to both promote resilience within care leavers but also strengthen responses to care leavers facing adversity.