The Importance Of Resilience

Resilience is often described as a 'life skill' as it is not something that we are born with but rather something we all work at and that needs to be nurtured and built up in layers over time. Children learn early on by observing their parents/carers and by doing this the parents become the most important people in helping to build their child's early resilience. If children or young people see that their parents cope well with every day stress, then it increases the likelihood that they will be able to emulate this.

Being resilient is all about being able to stand on your own 'two feet' and to be independent. If a child is resilient it can help them to reverse the effects that, for example, bullying can have on their self-esteem and self-confidence. Being resilient can help a child to be able to stand up for themselves and others, and it can also help to promote self-esteem and increase self-confidence and self-image.

Children and young people, with the help of practitioners and parents/carers, can learn how to keep up their self-confidence and resilience, even when they are facing a hard task or a challenging situation. Children who are going through a difficult period or who are lacking in confidence or self-esteem may need support in order to help them to

Children should be encouraged as much as possible and given reassurance as they learn to manage their own emotions. Practitioners must always remain approachable to the children and young people in their care. Whenever a child or young person needs assistance or guidance in how to face a difficult situation it is important that they know that they have somebody to turn to. If adults facilitate opportunities for discussion, children will know that their problems are important and they can always seek advice from adults that they