Strengthening Families Protective Factors

The Strengthening Families protective factors are attributes and condition that help keep all families strong and on a pathway of healthy development and well-being. The Center for Social policy introduced the Strengthening Families Approach and Protective Factors Framework in 2003 as a research-informed, strength-based initiative for preventing child abuse and neglect in children birth to age 5 years. As of 2015, 27 states have developed strengthening families programs.

In 2014, a new report from the Center for the Study of Social Policy broadened the focus and evidence base to demonstrate how these components (parental resilience, parent knowledge of child development and parenting, social connections, concrete support in times of need, and the child’s social and emotional health) also are linked to healthy functioning and well-being. The foundational principles are very consistent with pediatric preventive services approaches. Universal across different cultural groups are the strength-based perspective, informed by neurobiological research and resilience theory, the use of a two-generation approach, and the focus on well-being and the nature of risk and protective factors (Harper Browne, 2014).

1. Parental resilience
2. Parent knowledge of child development and parenting
3. Social connections
4. Concrete support in times of need
5. The child’s social and emotional health