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Monday, January 23, 2012

The Five Protective Factors




The Center for the Study of Social Policy launched the Strengthening Families Initiative in 2006, with the support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The Strengthening Families Initiative is a strategy and national network to prevent child abuse and neglect by helping early care and education programs to assist families develop "protective factors" which contribute to child safety and well-being.The Five Protective Factors are the foundation of the Strengthening Families Approach: Parental Resilience, Social Connections, Concrete Support in Times of Need, Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development, and Social and Emotional Competence of Children. Research studies support the common-sense notion that when these Protective Factors are well established in a family, the likelihood of child abuse and neglect diminishes. Research shows that these protective factors are also "pro-motive" factors that build family strengths and a family environment that promotes optimal child and youth development.

The first Protective Factor is 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.

The Welcome Baby Program can help you with Parental Resilience because we can offer you resources and other useful information with any questions and concerns you may have. We can offer you support and find other support groups from within the community to build and strengthen your relationship with your children and family. Over the next couple weeks we will cover each of the Five Protective Factors!
Information found here


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