This assignment will examine how society as a whole supports and encourages resilience in looked after children, and also the certain polices and safeguarding practices which are in place to protect this group of children. With regards to the wellbeing of children there are many policies and procedures which have been developed over time in order to protect them and maintain their safety and well-being. UNICEF define well-being more broadly, "The true measure of a nation’s standing is how well it attends to its children – their health and safety, their material security, their education and socialization, and their sense of being loved, valued and included in the families and societies into which they are born," (UNICEF, 2007:1). However, when it comes too looked after children, their families and the society they grow up in can vary dramatically. According to the Royal College of Nursing, the term looked after children applies to children who are currently being looked after, or accommodated for by local authorities and health and social care trusts, it also includes children who are unaccompanied and seeking asylum and children who are being taken from their harmful environment and the agency has authority to rehome the child. The Royal College of Nursing also outlined the amount of children who are currently in care, "on the 31st March 2011 there were over 83,000 looked after children in the UK," (2012:9). There are a number of reasons why children are consequently put into care, when the environment they are living in becomes a risk to their health, well-being and potentially their life, agencies make the decision to remove the child from harm and place them into care. Throughout this assignment I will outline the risks looked after children may face and the consequences it has on their lives. Leckman and Mayes (2007) define resilience as, "the term applied to children exposed to severe risk factors, such as poverty, who nevertheless thrive and excel. It is the ability to spring back from and successfully adapt to adversity." (2007:211). Children are placed into care for many reasons, the NSPCC states that ‘a child who is being looked after by the local authority is known as a child in care. In some cases a child will have been placed in care voluntarily by parents struggling to cope. ’ However, this is not always the case and sometimes children are removed from their families if they were at significant risk of harm. When it comes to children leaving care they receive much help from agencies and the government in order to make sure they can progress in later life. The Children Leaving Care Act (2000) demonstrates the regulations which are currently in place, "to ensure that young people do not leave care until they are ready, and to ensure that they receive more effective support once they have left," (Cited from ‘a national voice’ publication). Social workers also have to devise a pathway plan, which assists the young person’s needs in the following areas: accommodation, practical life skills, education and training, employment, financial support, specific support needs, and future living arrangements (legislation.gov.uk). However, when we are looking at children leaving care from a resilient perspective as Coleman and Hagell (2007a) state, children are, "highly vulnerable to poor developmental trajectories because of persistent exposure to risk factors from an early age," (Driscoll, 2011:140). Therefore, some children in care may take their experiences with them through life and it may shape who are to become as adults, however Rutter (2006) explains, "the resilience displayed by an individual may vary over time and be exhibited only in some areas of their life, "(Driscoll, 2011:141). When young adults leave care they are given the opportunity to become more independent but may still receive help and guidance from the government. It may be a step forward in building their confidence when it comes to living on their own, McGloin and Widom (2001) state, "leavers can demonstrate remarkably resilient adaptation," (Driscoll, 2011:141). Care leavers will have the opportunity to build their resilience within society which they may have previously had trouble with, this can be seen as a step forward in their lives. Driscoll, explains, "protective factors in building resilience include a supportive relationship with at least one competent adult," (2011:141). This can include key workers who play a big role in looked after children’s lives, both in and out of care. Children entering care are likely to have been severely abused and neglected, therefore their confidence and trust levels will not be very stable, it is important that looked after children have a supportive relationship with at least one adult, e.g key workers. Looked after children can develop a special bond with a supportive adult, Drapeau et al (2007) explain that this can, "serve to initiate a turning point," in their lives