What is Resilience?

A contested question. Some people say it is 'individual grit' or the 'ability to bounce back or forward'. In Camden, we think it is wider than that.

Resilience relates not just to how we think, but who or what can help us get back on track when things feel difficult. This means our 'resources'. 

Those resources might be emotional, social, material, financial and environmental. They might be our own individual resources, or they might be the collective resources of our social support network, our community, our local services, or the society we live in. 

To Be Resilient, We Need to Know: 

• what or who our resources are (who or what is there for me)
• how to access those resources (I can ask for help from myself or others and that's always okay)
• that the resources are consistent and sustainable (they'll be there when I need them). 

If we have resources, we can build our world with strength and confidence. We can draw on those resources in difficult moments to help us feel stronger. This applies to children, parents and families.

When we do assessments and plans, we are both exploring the 'why now' question, and trying to help a family identify and strengthen their individual and collective resources so they can use them now and in the future. 

Here is an image to keep us curious about what resilience means. 

What does resilience mean to you? Can you think of a time when you had to find resilience, and what or who helped you to feel stronger? What resources did you draw on?