Author Description

The New Zealand Government commissioned this project to understand how many at-risk families go on to achieve positive education and employment outcomes and the key factors that influence this success. Part one of the project draws on a recent analysis of linked administrative data by the Treasury which analysed the potential relationship between a range of risk factors - including a parent with a corrections history, spending most of one's childhood with a parent on a benefit, and a child abuse notification by age five - and outcomes in education and employment. Part two of the project draws on interviews with 49 people who had achieved positive education or employment outcomes despite experiencing adversity during their childhood. The report identifies the individual, interpersonal, and community factors that help people overcome adversity, highlights the importance of resilience, and briefly considers the implications for service providers and government policy. Resilience for Maori in the context of whanau is also discussed.