Foster Care Training

For youth in foster care, resilience is often framed as an individual trait—something they either possess or need to develop in order to ‘overcome’ their circumstances. However, resilience is shaped by the structures, policies, and social expectations that determine access to stability and support. Many youth in care face institutional challenges that disrupt their well-being, from frequent placement changes to policies that limit their ability to make decisions about their own lives. What if resilience wasn’t just about helping youth cope with these realities, but about changing the conditions that create them? This session will explore how structural challenges, social conditioning, and institutional decision-making impact youth well-being, often creating patterns of instability, isolation, and emotional disconnection. Participants will examine how identity, policy, and professional practices shape access to support and will learn strategies for shifting the ways caregivers and professionals engage with youth’s moving beyond survival-based resilience toward relationships and practices that foster true well-being.