Love in a Time of Colic: Mobilizing Professional Love in Relationships with Children and Young People to Promote Their Resilience and Wellbeing

Abstract

Children and young people in the UK face myriad challenges, which we characterize as colic 1 : the deleterious impact of uncertainty, stress and precarity on their mental health and wellbeing, particularly in their social bonds and relationships. We present findings from studies in the North of England which used focus group, individual interview and experimental LEGO® modeling sessions with 23 child and youth professionals working in a variety of roles and settings, to determine how demonstrating love within their professional relationships with children and young people can scaffold their resilience to these challenges and enhance mental health and wellbeing. We use thematic analysis to make meaning from the data, and we relate the findings to our extrapolation of Page’s developmental steps in early years professional practice, highlighting the potential for the concept of Professional Love to enhance children and young people’s wellbeing.