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Enhancing the resilience of children and young people in public care by mentoring their talents and interests
Author(s) -
Gilligan
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
child and family social work
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.912
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1365-2206
pISSN - 1356-7500
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2206.1999.00121.x
Subject(s) - psychological resilience , agency (philosophy) , value (mathematics) , mental health , psychology , social care , young person , resilience (materials science) , dimension (graph theory) , nursing , public relations , medicine , social psychology , developmental psychology , sociology , political science , psychiatry , social science , physics , mathematics , machine learning , computer science , pure mathematics , thermodynamics
It is argued that the progress and resilience of young people in public care can be greatly enhanced by attention to the value of cultural, sporting and other activities in their lives. Sensitive mentoring of the young person in these activities by concerned adults – members of the child’s social network or volunteers – can foster the potential of the young person, build self‐esteem, strengthen mental health and open new social relationships beyond the care system. A series of case illustrations are used to demonstrate how such involvement in activities can greatly improve the prospects for a more successful transition out of care. It is suggested that the potential of this neglected dimension of care can only be fully realized through alert professional practice, imaginative engagement with potential ‘natural’ mentors, supportive agency policy, effective care planning systems, and relevant training and professional supervision for social workers.