bringing the protective factors to life in your work
TRANSCRIPT
Home Visiting Summit
September 29, 2014
Bringing the Protective Factors to Life in Your Work
2
BE PART OF AN INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT FOR BUILDING STRONG FAMILIES AND REDUCING CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT
IDENTIFYING RISK FACTORS
A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
LOOKING AT THE FAMILY THROUGH A DIFFERENT LENS
A single mom working two jobs, has no transportation,
and does not bring her child to the center on time.
1
A parent just moved to the city, appears to have an
alcohol problem, and has a special needs child
2
A teenage parent, who works a minimum wage job, has not
graduate from high school, and has no health care.
3
A mother of two preschoolers is in a wheelchair because of
cerebral palsy, her extended family lives very
far away. 4
FOUR CORNERS EXERCISE
EXERCISE: CONSIDERATIONS
¡ Did you make the decision based on deficits?
¡ What assumptions, if any, did you make?
¡ Did your biases play a role in your decisions?
¡ If you were working with this family, how would you find their strengths?
WHAT ARE THE PROTECTIVE
FACTORS?
Strengthened Families
Optimal child growth and
development
Reduced Child Abuse and
Neglect
Concrete supports in times of need Knowledge of parenting and child development Parental resilience Social connections Social-emotional Competence of children
SOCIAL CONNECTIONS
CONCRETE NEEDS
AND SUPPORTS
CLOTHING
SHELTER
HEALTH CARE
FOOD JOB TRAINING
EDUCATION
FOOD
CONCRETE SUPPORTS
Children’s Trust of South Carolina | scChildren.org
PARENTAL RESILIENCE
KNOWLEDGE OF PARENTING AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
SOCIAL EMOTIONAL COMPETENCE OF CHILDREN
POSITIVE OUTCOMES FOR
PROTECTIVE FACTORS
Strengthened Families
Optimal child growth and
development
Reduced Child Abuse and
Neglect
Benefits ALL famil ies
Promotes better overall outcomes for children and famil ies
Grounded in research, practice and
implementation knowledge
Easily integrated into existing programs, systems, strategies
Builds on strengths within the family
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO BUILD PARTNERSHIPS WITH FAMILIES?
¡ The family is the center of a child’s life; ¡ Working with parents gives us a more holistic view
of how to support and strengthen families; and ¡ Highly involved families almost double the positive
odds for their children in education, health promotion and social-emotional development.
¡ What are you already doing to build protective factors with families you currently serve?
¡ Is their something ELSE you could do to build
protective factors with the families you serve? ¡ What do the Protective Factors look like in
YOUR life?
Children’s Trust of South Carolina | scChildren.org
HOW CAN YOU HELP YOUR FAMILIES BUILD PROTECTIVE FACTORS?
¡ Respond immediately when families are in crisis;
¡ Facilitate mutual support around parenting and other issues;
¡ Address parenting issues from a strength based approach;
¡ Encourage parents to manage stress effectively;
¡ Help families to develop the skills they need to identify their needs and connects to supports
¡ Help children develop a positive cultural identity and interact with a diverse society.
¡ Model nurturing support to children.
¡ Provide resources on parenting and child development
Children’s Trust of South Carolina | scChildren.org
WHAT ARE SOME EVERY DAY ACTIONS THAT BUILD PROTECTIVE FACTORS?