PROMOTING THE WELBEING AND RESILIENCE OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
The factors that influence the well being of children and young people. The factors that influence the well being of children and young people are: • Attachment :Attachments are formed in the very earliest months and years of life. These have a significant influence on emotional development as well as providing a template for the child as he or she grows into adulthood
• Relationships.
Good relationships are really important for children’s wellbeing. Children have a deep, natural need to connect with other people and to belong to a social group. A child’s ability to develop good relationships is an extremely important step on the path to getting the best out of his or her life.
Good relationships are really important for children’s wellbeing. Children have a deep, natural need to connect with other people and to belong to a social group. A child’s ability to develop good relationships is an extremely important step on the path to getting the best out of his or her life.
• Emotional security.
This is when a child feels secure and loved by the adults in their life. Helping a child to establish emotional security can be as simple as practicing consistency, connection and compassion.
This is when a child feels secure and loved by the adults in their life. Helping a child to establish emotional security can be as simple as practicing consistency, connection and compassion.
• Health.
It is important for a child to be healthy and learn what keeps them healthy and what can be detrimental to their health.
It is important for a child to be healthy and learn what keeps them healthy and what can be detrimental to their health.
• Self esteem.
Healthy self-esteem is like a child's armour against the challenges of the world. Kids who know their strengths and weaknesses and feel good about themselves seem to have an easier time handling conflicts and resisting negative pressures.
Healthy self-esteem is like a child's armour against the challenges of the world. Kids who know their strengths and weaknesses and feel good about themselves seem to have an easier time handling conflicts and resisting negative pressures.
• Diet.
Good nutrition and a balanced diet help children to grow up healthy. Children and young people need to be taught about eating healthily.
Good nutrition and a balanced diet help children to grow up healthy. Children and young people need to be taught about eating healthily.
• Exercise.
Children who regularly exercise generally enjoy high self-esteem, which in turn affects all aspects of a child’s life, from school performance to social well being.
• Rest and sleep.
It is vital for children and young people to get the rest they require and enough sleep to remain healthy and alert. In order to do this they need a comfy place to sleep and the quiet to do so.
Children who regularly exercise generally enjoy high self-esteem, which in turn affects all aspects of a child’s life, from school performance to social well being.
• Rest and sleep.
It is vital for children and young people to get the rest they require and enough sleep to remain healthy and alert. In order to do this they need a comfy place to sleep and the quiet to do so.
The above factors will be influenced by family circumstances; strong social networks; supportive family structure; discrimination; domestic violence; foetal alcohol syndrome; harm or abuse; injury; learning disability; medical conditions (chronic or acute); physical disability; poverty; profound or complex needs; sensory needs; social deprivation; and substance misuse[2].
And in particular, there are many factors affecting the health of looked after children and young people. Children and young people looked after away from home are particularly vulnerable to systematic and personal barriers to good health. These children constitute some of the most vulnerable young people in society. Their health status is influenced by a range of factors relating to their social and family backgrounds and by the very nature of being in and moving from care. Many children and young people entering care will display various behavioural and emotional problems as a consequence of previous traumatic experiences that may include sexual, physical and emotional abuse, neglect and family breakdown, increasing young people’s vulnerability to developing mental health problems: the mental health problems for looked after and accommodated children and young people are markedly greater than that of their peers in the community. About two-thirds of young people living in residential care can be described as having a clinically diagnosed ‘emotional disorder’ ranging from anxiety, conduct and hyperkinetic disorders to depression, with as many as a third having a history of sexual abuse.[3]
The importance of resilience for children and young people
Resilience has been variously defined as: normal development under difficult circumstances, or the human capacity to face, overcome and ultimately be strengthened by life’s adversities and challenges. This is not something that people either have or do not – resilience is learnable and teachable and as we learn we increase the range of strategies available to us when things get difficult. Resilience is about all children (and adults), not just those who are considered vulnerable, and are therefore a whole school issue. Psychologists have long recognised that some children develop well despite growing up in high-risk environments. This capacity to cope with adversity, and even be strengthened by it, is at the heart of resilience[4].
While definitions of resilience are clearly helpful, we also need to know what qualities we might expect to find in a child who has been described as "resilient". The following is suggested as a more accessible definition: A resilient child can resist adversity, cope with uncertainty and recover more successfully from traumatic events or episodes. Three kinds of resilience tend to be described:
a) The first type is represented by children who do not succumb to adversities, in spite of their high risk status, for example low birth weight babies.
b) The second type concerns children who develop coping strategies in situations of chronic stress, such as children of drug using or alcoholic parents.
c) Thirdly, children who have suffered extreme trauma, for example through disasters, sudden loss of a close relative or abuse, and who have recovered and prospered may be described as resilient.
It is important to stress at the outset that no child is, or can be rendered, invulnerable to emotional or physiological stress. Where adversities are continuous and extreme, and not moderated by factors external to the child, resilience will be very rare.
Resilience is important to children and young people because it enables them rise to challenges and ability to be resilient is often an indicator of future success as an adult. It also helps protect children against emotional and behavioural problems, violence and crime, teenage pregnancy, misuse of drugs and alcohol[5].os.org.uk/resources
4The effective ways of promoting well being and resilience in the work setting
Wellbeing is influenced by many factors such as secure family relationships, family breakdown, unstable families, more limited role of extended family, deprivation, mental and physical health of care givers, inadequate income, SEN including emotional and behavioural difficulties and specific learning difficulties[6].
As well as providing short-term and long term health benefits, physical activity is also important to children’s overall wellbeing. If physical activity is taken out of doors, children benefit from being out in the fresh air in an environment that can make them feel free. Children also benefit emotionally and socially as they learn new skills and develop confidence in playing alongside others[7].
In a work setting wellbeing and resilience can be promoted by taught curriculum, teaching social and emotional skills, showing empathy, interest, respect, modelling, giving praise for effort, active listening, correcting behaviour, not labelling the individual, inquiry-based and practical learning, encouraging pupils to consider the effects of their actions on others, test and stretch skills and abilities[8].
All of the frameworks in the home nations stress the importance of providing strong emotional support for children, as it is now recognised that children’s emotional well-being plays an integral part not only in their ability to learn but their overall health[9].
Ways of working with carers to promote well being and resilience in children and young people.
Working with carers is important for it contributes to the wellbeing and resilience in children and young people. Working with carers recognises the importance of child–parent/carer relationships to children's wellbeing and resilience. Carers consider how they frame feedback to parents and support them in encouraging their children to develop new skills and overcome setbacks, use of family learning programmes, home school liaison ensuring parents/carers have information they need to support their child's learning and support of other professionals[10].
Working with carers promotes the well-being of individual children and young people based on understanding how children and young people develop in their families and communities and addressing their needs at the earliest possible time keeping children and young people safe. Emotional and physical safety is fundamental and is wider than child protection. Putting the child at the centre, children and young people should have their views listened to and they should be involved in decisions that affect them. Taking a whole child approach recognising that what is going on in one part of a child or young person's life can affect many other areas of his or her life. Building on strengths and promoting resilience, using a child or young person's existing networks and support where possible. This can also be done by promoting opportunities and valuing diversity. Children and young people should feel valued in all circumstances and practitioners should create opportunities to celebrate diversity. By providing additional help that is appropriate, proportionate and timely, early as possible and considering short and long-term needs. Supporting children, young people and families in understanding what help is possible and what their choices may be. Working in partnership with families in supporting, wherever possible, those who know the child or young person well, know what they need, what works well for them and what may not be helpful[11].
Why social and emotional identity are important to the well being and resilience of children and young people.
Every child has a social identity, which is how we perceive our various roles in society in relation to others. Whether it is through social position, culture or ethnicity, interests, achievements, or beliefs. Children derive a sense of pride, self-worth, and consistency from their social identities. So, when it is rapidly changed, threatened, or questioned, it is no wonder that a child may become vulnerable. In order to have a social identity, we need people around us to confirm or deny. The people around us also influence our social identities and the way we feel about ourselves. If a child is very shy and withdrawn, it is likely that other children will pick up on her social cues and leave her alone, thus confirming her social identity as "shy and withdrawn." In turn, she may lack satisfaction in her social role, feel lonely, or become frustrated trying to break free from that identity[12].
Children and young people’s social and emotional identity develop in line with their age and level of understanding. Formation of self-identity is at the centre of the development of children’s emotions. How children think of themselves directly affects ability to learn and achieve for example labelling themselves as 'stupid' or 'clever', can prevent persistence either because there seems no point or because they become afraid to fail, negative self-identity affects ability to form positive relationships and to learn, can be carried into adulthood[13].
How to support children and young people to identify with their own self image and identity.
This includes helping children and young people to assess their social, emotional and identity needs and supporting them to develop a positive self-image, enhance their self esteem and improve their self-reliance. It also includes observing, assessing and taking action to ensure that children and young people’s social, emotional and identity needs are addressed[14].This also can be done by recognising and valuing abilities, talents and achievements of children and young people. This can be done by knowing that self identity in children and young people is influenced by what happens around them. And that image of them comes from the way others treat them. It can also be done by showing respect and valuing children/young people's views, opinions, feelings, showing you value their capabilities and strengths, positively reward their effort and achievement[15].
How goals and targets identified as part of the planning process contribute towards building the self esteem of children and young people.
By setting realistic goals and targets for a child to achieve, you will develop their self-esteem. Giving them a task that is too difficult will set them up to fail and damage self esteem. When you are involved in the planning process, you will set goals and targets for each individual, by making each task/activity/experience achievable, the child will develop a sense of pride and confidence when it is completed[16].The goals identified should be specific and positive. They should be achievable by being capable of being broken down into small steps of achievement. This will build confidence and self-esteem in the child. Agree targets with child/young person ensuring that they provide a degree of challenge. It is important to use progress review to revise goals and/or provide additional support where necessary is important to celebrate achievements and provide support to help deal with disappointment and always praise effort[17].
How a solution focused approach will encourage children and young people to have a positive outlook on their lives.
A solution focused approach gets people to look at how they would like to see their preferred future. It then gets them to look at what is going right for them at the moment and explores the small steps needed to continue on this path in order to attain their preferred future. A solution focused approach helps children and young people develop a sense of personal responsibility – they can identify with how, by taking a more positive approach to their life and the choices they make, they can change the direction in which their life may be heading for the better[18].
Solution-focused approach help a child/young person identify what their goals or preferred future will look like when they have overcome their problems or challenges. Can help the child/young person notice things in their lives that are going well or goals that are partly achieved, building confidence and the belief that they can improve other areas too, helps recognise transferable skills[19].
The importance of informing relevant people when there are concerns about a child or young person’s health or well-being.
You have a duty, under your settings Child Protection and Welfare Policies to report any concerns you may have regarding a child’s health and well being. Failure to report it means you are failing the child. You are not trained, equipped, have the resources or access to the resources needed to help that child and will just be prolonging the problems. Early intervention means rapid and early access to support, thus preventing a cumulative effect. The later the intervention the harder it becomes to reverse the negative impacts[20]. When informing the relevant people is important to follow the laid down procedure and policies for referral. It is also important to know when and how to report concerns and action to be taken in the event of a suspected child protection situation[21].©2014 All rights Reserved
[7] M. Smith, etal (2010),Children & Young people’s workforce; Early learning& childcare, Heinemann,p.351
[9] M. Smith, etal (2010),Children & Young people’s workforce; Early learning & childcare, Heinemann,p.258