California Parenting Institute

Strengthening Families by Building Protective Factors

MAY 2011

Grace Harris, Director of Programs graceh@calparents.org(707) 585-6108 x103 www.calparents.org

“Our mission is to treat and prevent child abuse by nurturing and advocating for the health of children, parents and families.”

. Strengthening Families is focused on what’s strong, not what’s wrong

Strengthening FamiliesThe Heart of the Approach

Levers for Change

Parent PartnershipsIllinois and Washington have adapted anapproach to

organize conversations with parents that focus on building protective factors. Kansas launched a research initiative to better understand how parents access support.

Professional DevelopmentAlaska is integrated social work and early childhood

coursework. Missouri and Arkansas are adapting child care resource and referral contracts to provide incentives for offering training on the protective factors.

Policies and SystemsMassachusetts has aligned $15 million in contracts from three

separate funding sources around building protective factors. Georgia is also considering something similar with child care licensing procedures.

Promoting the Five Protective Factors:For each protective factor, the focus is on helping

parents identify and build on their own strengths and on empowering them to identify the best strategies to help them enhance their parenting capacity. This gives the provider the opportunity to work in partnership with the parents and family in order to explore opportunities for growth and support.

Protective Factor Defined

Parental Resilience The ability to cope and bounce back form all kinds of challenges

Social Connections Friends, family, neighbors, and other members of a community who provide emotional support and concrete assistance to parents

Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development

Accurate information about raising young children and appropriate expectations for their behavior

Concrete Support in Times of Need

Financial security to cover day-to-day expenses and unexpected costs that come up from time to time, access to formal supports like TANF and Medicaid, and informal support form social networks

Social and Emotional Competence of Children

A child’s ability to interact positively with others and communicate his or her emotions effectively

Strengthening FamiliesGuiding Principles

All families have strengths

All families need support

The Protective Factors support in the prevention of child abuse

Shift focus from family support to family strengthening

Protective Factors become core of our community’s strategies

Implications

Putting it into practice . . . . Staff and families work together in

relationships based on equality and

respect.

Staff enhance families’ capacity to

support the growth and development of

all family members – adults, youth, and

children.

Families are resources to their own

members, to other families, to

programs, and to communities.

Programs affirm and strengthen families’

cultural, racial, and linguistic identities and

enhance their ability to function in a

multicultural society.

Programs are embedded in

communities and contribute to the

community-building process.

Putting it into Practice – continued

Programs are flexible and continually

responsive to emerging family and

community issues.

Principles of family support are modeled in

all program activities, including planning,

governance, and administration.

Programs advocate with families for services

and systems that are fair, responsive, and

accountable to the families served.

Practitioners work with families to mobilize

formal and informal resources to support

family development.

Provide informal space for parents to “hang out”

Blend social and parent education activities

How you can help parents develop social connections

Organize structured activities that bring parents together, including fathers

Reach out to isolated parents

Teach social and emotional skills

Help parents appreciate their children’s strengths

Work with parents, children, and professionals to address challenging behaviors

How you can promotesocial-emotional competence

in children

Concrete Support in Times of Need

Food, shelter, clothing Job training Health Education Substance Abuse Mental Health Domestic Violence Specialized Services for Children

Model/teach healthy coping skills

Show parents: They are valued Staff is concerned about them Help is available

Build trusting relationships

Provide extra support for those parents who need it

How you can help build parental resilience

Provide “just in time” parent education Be a role model Arrange formal parent education activities Partner with parent education agencies Build trust and mutual respect Blend education with social events Share resources

How you can enhance parents’ knowledge of parenting

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