Protective Factors

Participation in Family Support Builds Protective Factors* that are Proven to Reduce the Risk of Child Abuse and Neglect

Research has shown that the five Protective Factors described on this page help build family strengths and a family environment that promotes optimal child and youth development. When these Protective Factors are well established in a family, the likelihood of child abuse and neglect goes down. The Protective Factors are:

Parental Resilience

No one can eliminate stress from parenting, but a parent’s capacity for resilience can affect how a parent deals with stress. Resilience is the ability to manage and bounce back from all types of challenges that emerge in every family’s life. It means finding ways to solve problems, building and sustaining trusting relationships including relationships with your own child, and knowing how to seek help when necessary.

Family Support builds parental resilience by supporting families in times of stress and helping parents develop new coping strategies. Family Development Specialists work one-on-one with families to help them identify their strengths and meet their goals.

Social Connections

Friends, family members, neighbors and community members provide emotional support, help solve problems, offer parenting advice and give concrete assistance to parents. Networks of support are essential to parents and also offer opportunities for people to “give back”, an important part of self- esteem as well as a benefit for the community. Isolated families may need extra help in reaching out to build positive relationships.

Family Support builds social connections by helping parents develop and maintain positive relationships within their community, including supportive connections with other families. Through Family Support’s focus on parent leadership, families have the opportunity to “give back” and become leaders in their communities.

Concrete Support in Times of Need

Meeting basic economic needs like food, shelter, clothing and health care is essential for families to thrive. Likewise, when families encounter a crisis such as domestic violence, mental illness or substance abuse, adequate services and supports need to be in place to provide stability, treatment and help for family members to get through the crisis.

Family Support links families with concrete supports by identifying each family’s unique needs and then connecting that family with the most appropriate neighborhood resources (e.g., food banks, housing supports, counseling services, vocational programs).

Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development

Accurate information about child development and appropriate expectations for children’s behavior at every age help parents see their children and youth in a positive light and promote their healthy development. Information can come from many sources, including family members as well as parent education classes and surfing the internet. Studies show information is most effective when it comes at the precise time parents need it to understand their own children. Parents who experienced harsh discipline or other negative childhood experiences may need extra help to change the parenting patterns they learned as children.

Family Support builds parental confidence and knowledge of child development through peer support groups, parent-child activities, and one-on-one coaching from Family Development Specialists. Families with children under the age of six can participate in Parents as Teachers, an evidence-based home visiting program recognized by the federal government.

Social and Emotional Competence of Children

A child or youth’s ability to interact positively with others, self-regulate their behavior and effec­tively communicate their feelings has a positive impact on their relationships with their family, other adults, and peers. Challenging behaviors or delayed development create extra stress for families, so early identification and assistance for both parents and children can head off nega­tive results and keep development on track.

Family Support builds children’s social and emotional competence by promoting positive parenting techniques and giving families access to early developmental screening through the Ages and Stages Questionnaire. Children at risk of delays are linked with early intervention providers. With timely access to any needed services and supports, event those children at risk of poor outcomes can start school on time and ready to succeed.