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Building Resilience: Our Latest Research 2 Practice Session

June 2020

When it comes to resilience, a close parent-child relationship and social support can play significant roles, according to a study by the Society’s Research Unit.

The study found that these factors can mitigate the impact of poverty-related risk factors and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), including domestic violence, physical abuse, parental separation, or having a family member in prison.

The results of the study were shared with our social workers and counsellors during a Research 2 Practice session held virtually at the end of March. This is the third session since the series was launched in 2017. Through these sessions, we share research findings and create a platform to discuss their potential applications in the work we do at our service centres. 

A total of 27 staff members from seven centres participated in the latest session.

The study, which involved 270 child-caregiver pairs, aimed to uncover the factors that protect vulnerable children and help them build resilience against the negative consequences of being exposed to various risk factors. These consequences include a range of behavioural and social-emotional problems that can result in violent outbursts, depression, or anxiety.

The findings highlight the importance of supporting parents and caregivers, helping them build a positive relationship with the children in their care. They also underline the importance of understanding a child’s social support system, and the role it may play.

Many of our participants were also surprised to know that more than 70% of the children who took part in the study experienced more than one ACE.

Several ideas were shared during the session on how else the findings could help shape the Society’s work and on what further research is required, including looking at what helps or hinders parents in cultivating a close relationship with their children, and how children perceive social support.

More details on the study can be found in Issue 4, Issue 6, and Issue 8 of the Research Unit’s biannual newsletter, Research Bites. 


Virtual sharing: Our Research 2 Practice session took on a digital dimension during the Circuit Breaker 

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