This report is the third volume of the Ministry of Social Development's new research series "Raising Children in New Zealand". This series was established as a means of disseminating the results from the Ministry's "Family Dynamics/Family Effectiveness" work programme. The report addresses the question as to why some families manage to cope well to stress in their life and others in similar circumstances fail to do so. It surveys the literature on resilience, with a specific focus on how the concept has been applied at the level of the family. This work has focused primarily on parenting practices and highlights the importance of nurturance, consistent discipline and appropriate provision of autonomy in producing beneficial outcomes for children. The report also examines: the context in which resilience is manifested; factors that are associated with better outcomes for children; how the concept of resilience might apply at the community level; and concludes with a review of the results of recent evaluations of a range of intervention programmes aimed at changing families' modes of functioning. Three key themes come out of the research. Firstly, early intervention is the key to obtaining positive results. Secondly, different programmes are needed for different types of family environments and programmes must be sensitive to families' cultural beliefs and values. Thirdly, it is important to not only build the factors that protect families, but also to reduce the ecological risks that threaten family functioning.

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