ABSTRACT
The concept of resilience is becoming more widely understood and increasingly comprises part of statutory guidance for child care professionals. Resilience indicates a capacity to resist stress, cope with adverse conditions, and make the functional adaptations required when recovering from severe difficulties. This chapter describes the processes associated with the promotion of resilience in the dimensions of the child, their family and their community. It also describes three broad types of resilience. The first type is represented by children who succeed, or do not succumb to adversities, in spite of their high risk status, for example low birth weight babies. The second type concerns children who exhibit maturity and coping strategies in situations of chronic stress, such as children of drug using or alcoholic parents. Thirdly, resilience may be exhibited by children who have suffered extreme trauma, for example through disasters, sudden loss of a close relative or abuse, and who have recovered and prospered.
