‘I want to change the world’: Wendy Sims-Schouten on childhood resilience
Posted on 19th February, 2025
Professor Wendy Sims-Schouten’s new book Revisiting Childhood Resilience Through Marginalised and Displaced Voices uses an interdisciplinary approach to challenge current childhood resilience research and practice. The culmination of ten years of research and publications around childhood resilience, the book draws upon data collected from and co-produced with children, young people and adults from marginalised, disadvantaged and displaced communities.
We caught up with Wendy to talk about her work on childhood resilience, her interdisciplinary approach to research, and the shortfalls and her desire to change the world for the better.
Tell us more about your background and experience.
I am Professor of Interdisciplinary Psychology and Head of UCL Arts and Sciences, which is the home of new wave liberal arts and sciences degrees, one of the first of its kind in the world. As Head I oversee the running of the department, which is the fastest growing department in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, and is based across Bloomsbury and UCL East. In addition to this, I undertake research with a focus on wellbeing, eclectic resilience (including resistance and defiance) and coproduction, working collaboratively with members from a range of disadvantaged, displaced and marginalised communities (such as young care leavers, refugees/migrants, as well as members from minority ethnic communities).
How and why did you get into this subject area?
The short answer is because I want to change the world and to do that we should listen to children from diverse backgrounds.
What motivated you to write and publish this book?
After researching childhood wellbeing for 15 years, I felt that we keep missing the boat when it comes to making sense of childhood resilience in light of displacement and marginalisation. This book tries to remedy some of this by presenting stories, memories and experiences of childhood resilience, resistance and compliance, centralising voices of children and young people from a range of marginalised and displaced communities (e.g. care experienced young people, child migrants, children from minority ethnic communities, to name a few),
What do you think sets your approach apart from others in your field, and how do you stay innovative?
I adopt an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on knowledge from the arts, humanities and social sciences, whilst most research around resilience is largely located within health and psychology disciplines. Within my research I include voices, stories and memories, both from the past and present, and keep going back to children and young people to ask what they think, if my approach works and what could be improved.
Surprise us with something unexpected you encountered in your research for this book.
For me the key thing is that I was able to represent individual voices around wellbeing and resilience, something that is often dismissed when it comes to how impact in an academic context is measured. For example, when I completed my impact case study for REF2021 I realised that one particularly impactful event stood out for me. Yet, it was also something that I could not include in my case study, because it only affected one person and one school. Let me explain this. As part of REF impact cases studies, researchers are required to provide evidence of the impact of their research. In my case, this was my research centred on coproducing new understandings and interventions around mental health and wellbeing working collaboratively with care-experienced young people, new mothers with mental health issues and members from minority ethnic communities and related charities and organisations. I was able to show that the research had significant impact, for instance by changing uptake of mental health support among young care leavers in Hampshire from 16% to 60%, as well as young people living in supported accommodation in Scotland. Yet, what I was most proud of was the EDI work that I collaborated on with the lead of the Race Equality Council in the South-West of England, working with a girl with mixed heritage who had been suspended from school due to ‘aggressive behaviour’. Working extensively with the girl in question and the school that had suspended her, we were able to show that what was described by the school as ‘aggressive behaviour’ was in fact a child (she was only 12) who resisted the racist bullying that she had been on the receiving end of since primary school. The school lacked EDI training and understanding, and we were able to support the girl. educate the school and get her education back on track. REF impact is centred on ‘big numbers’ of impact and as such this was not included in my REF case study, yet I could include this in my book.
Why did you choose to publish your work Open Access?
Because Open Access allows for increased visibility and wider dissemination.
How do you see your research contributing to a better understanding of the world, and what potential benefits might it offer in the future?
This book urges us to keep a more open mind when it comes to how we talk about ‘resilience’. Too often children and young people are just told to ‘be more resilient’ and new resilience tools and measures are coming out all the time, as if resilience can just be taught and measured. Yet, within this children and young people are rarely consulted and children who adopt resistant and defiant behaviours in light of adversity are frowned upon.
What do you see as the most exciting future directions for research in your field, and what breakthroughs do you hope to see in the coming years?
I hope we take coproduction with children and young people more seriously and not use this as a ‘tick box’ exercise.
What advice would you give to students who are interested in pursuing a career in your field, and what skills or qualities do you think are most important for success?
For me personally, the mix between research and practice was very beneficial. I first qualified as a psychiatric nurse and worked in various clinics, whilst specialising further in child psychology. Having this practical background and experience was invaluable when I eventually embarked on a PhD and an academic career.
What do you do to stay motivated and inspired in your work, and how do you maintain a positive attitude even in challenging situations?
What inspires and motivates me most is working with the community, whether charities, schools or museums. Since becoming a Head of Department I have had less time for research and I am very keen to pick up the collaborative projects and community work again as soon as I can..
What is something you are never asked, but wish you were?
I am not sure… I think there is still a lack of clarity around and engagement with the arts and humanities when it comes to making sense of concepts, such as mental health, wellbeing and resilience. I would love to have further discussions with people about that.
About the Author
Wendy Sims-Schouten is Professor of Interdisciplinary Psychology and Head of UCL Arts & Sciences.