Narratives of resilience: exploring the voices of individuals who grew up in the child welfare system in Newfoundland and Labrador

Sundly, Amit (2024) Narratives of resilience: exploring the voices of individuals who grew up in the child welfare system in Newfoundland and Labrador. Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

This novel Bildungsroman biographical narrative inquiry explored the narratives of resilience of six adults who grew up in Newfoundland and Labrador’s child welfare system. It considered: a) the unresolved disagreements about the understanding of resilience; b) the deficit discourse that contaminates resilience research within the context of the child welfare system and c) the methodological exclusion in resiliency research and theorizing of the voices and experiences of some individuals who grew up in care. This study used a critical strengths perspective to examine: 1) How do we ask individuals if they feel resilient? 2) How do we determine what adversity means to these individuals and the outcomes they value? 3) What processes did they go through to achieve those outcomes? Data were generated using interviews and prolonged engagement via email, text messages, and phone call with six adults who had spent >=3 years in care and reported a subjective sense of accomplishment. The findings are represented in the form of, a) six biographical summaries co-constructed in Bildungsroman style; and b) a discussion of themes within the three core components of resilience theory: adversity, outcomes, and processes. Themes within Adversity were, a) pre-care adversity; b) adversity associated with being in care; c) struggle with negative self-perception and stigma; d) state-designated and healthcare workers caring for the client, not the child, e) post-care adversity. Themes about Better-Than-Expected Outcomes were, a) agreement with the normative indicators of positive outcomes; b) unique meaning of normative accomplishments; c) striving to become the same as everyone else; d) extreme expectations and associated consequences; e) dynamic nature of the sense of accomplishment. The identified processes were, a) processes of accessing supports and services from the child welfare system; b) processes of accessing supports outside care; c) extended processes of stability and consistency; and d) processes of acceptance: disconnecting care from protection. This study considers the contemporary critiques of the concept of resiliency and introduces a novel methodology to research resiliency. The strength of this thesis lies in the findings grounded in intimate accounts of those who grew up in care. The study also uses Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of social reproduction to consider the potential harm of the resilience discourse as a way to understand the experiences of youth in care. I conclude with recommendations for practice and policy.

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