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Learn key strategies to strengthen families including parental resilience, social connections, knowledge of parenting, concrete supports, and children's social-emotional development. Discover what you can do to support families and promote positive outcomes for children.
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STRENGTHENING FAMILIES Vermont, 2012
Parental Resilience What we know • Hope and Optimism • Problem solving skills • Ability to maintain/restore calm • Self-care • Help seeking • Future orientation What you can do • Support for parental decision-making • Validation and encouragement • Support for self-care • Training/support in problem solving
Social Connections What we know: Social networks infused with: • Positive emotional support • Positive parenting norms • Resource sharing and mutual help What you can do: • Connect isolated families to peers • Create group activities and environments for social sharing • Facilitate mutual support activities • Create a socially inclusive culture
Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development What we know: • Knowledge of the normal range of development • Understanding how parenting impacts development • Understanding of their child’s particular developmental needs • Understanding discipline What you can do: • “Just in time” parenting education • Guided observation of their child’s behavior • Trusted authorities • Safe environments • Opportunities to try out new strategies with their child
Concrete Supports What we know: • Many families do not get the services they are eligible for • Stigma is a significant barrier to families getting CAN prevention services • Navigation of service systems is hard • Service can be provided in a way that undermines families What you can do • Use trusting relationships as the gateway to other services • Support families knowledge of and ability to access what is in the community • Serve as an advocate for existing services
Children’s Social Emotional Development What we Know: • Social emotional development is foundation skill • Early childhood mental health issues are more common than we think • Supporting children’s social emotional development impacts parents What you can do: • Social emotional development activities for kids • Connections to children’s mental health supports • Help parents understand children’s social emotional issues
Map of Implementing States Active in SFNN Not-active in SFNN, but some state level Implementation strategy in place
Strengthening Families National Network Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, with Casey Family Programs, Annie E. Casey, A.L. Mailman, Arthur Blank
The state of national implementation Over Thirty states are in the Strengthening Families National Network 20 states reported financial data—collectively these states invested $81 M in Strengthening Families 17 States using Parent or Community Café’s to promote parent to parent conversations to build protective factors 40,000 people received Training on Strengthening Families
Early Childhood Systems At least 19 states integrating SF into quality rating and improvement systems 15 states have engaged their CCR&Rs to build the capacity of local programs 20 states integrating SF into home visiting policy and planning In 9 states SF is used in state early learning and development advisory council planning and policy efforts In 8 states SF is integrated into state early care and education workforce knowledge and competency framework In 7 states SF is used to support family, friend and neighbor care providers
Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention 20 States incorporating the protective factors into training for prevention providers 20 states using the protective factors as the outcomes framework for local prevention grantees In 13 states family support programs are adopting Strengthening Families In 11 states public awareness campaigns include the Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework In 9 states county or community-level prevention planning processes have been aligned to the Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework In 5 states mandatory reporter training has been adapted to include the Strengthening Families approach and Protective Factors Framework
Child Welfare In 6 states SF is being integrated into training for child welfare workers In 5 states SF is being integrated into training for foster parents In 9 states SF is becoming part of the child welfare practice model In 5 states the protective factors are being integrated into assessment tools 13 states report that new partnerships are being formed between child welfare and early care and education programs using Strengthening Families approach and Protective Factors Framework
The Self-Assessment • Key implementation tool for programs adopting a Strengthening Families Approach • Helps programs identify “small but significant changes in practice” that will enhance their ability to build protective factors • Created based on a national study of exemplary practice • Designed to be used flexibly and to lead you to a concrete action plan
Online Suite of Tools • Registration • Self Assessment • Action Planning • Parent/Staff Surveys • Reports
Taking a Parent-to-Parent Approach • Community and Parent Cafes • Reframing using parent friendly language • Using a World Café Approach to build a comfortable, parent-led space • Tying to a larger parent leadership and engagement infrastructure • Harvesting to inform systems and structures
Bringing the Protective FactorsFramework to Life in Your Work Online training to support implementation of the Strengthening Families™ Protective Factors Framework in multiple settings Systems may use for awarding CEUs, credit Free of charge 7 courses,each about2 hours in length Introduction to the Framework (also useful as a stand-alone orientation) A course on each of the 5 Protective Factors A wrap-up course that moves users from knowledge to action Find at www.ctfalliance.org/onlinetraining Contact onlinelinetraining@ctfalliance.org
About the Strengthening Families National Network • Connect to information, ideas, tools, resources and peer connections to support Strengthening Families™ work: • Monthly networking calls • Technical assistance via phone and e-mail • State Leader Updates • Webinars and peer learning activities • Facebook group for peer-to-peer networking • Commit to annual reporting and maintenance of a 2-page profile of your work