Family Development Home Visiting

Family Services

Supports for families

Parents and families are offered information and connected to a variety of supports and community resources, as they wish. They work with the five protective factors that Strengthening Families uses.

“Early childhood is both the most critical
and the most vulnerable time in any child’s
development. In the first few years, the
ingredients for intellectual, emotional, and
moral growth are laid down. We cannot
fail children in these early years” (Brazelton
& Greenspan, 2000, p. x).

Strengthening Families

Strengthening Families is a framework developed by Center for the Study of Social Policy over the last decade to prevent child abuse and neglect. This approach helps child welfare systems, early education and other programs work with parents to build protective factors.

Strengthening Families™ is a research-informed approach to increase family strengths, enhance child development and reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect.  It is based on engaging families, programs and communities in building five protective factors:

  • Parental resilience
  • Social connections
  • Knowledge of parenting and child development
  • Concrete support in times of need
  • Social and emotional competence of children

These key resources outline the Strengthening Families Approach. The topics below provide additional information, tools and resources for understanding more about Strengthening Families and the Protective Factors Framework.

For more information email [email protected] or call 802-262-3292, ext. 134