The Strengthening Families Five Protective Factor Framework is an international initiative that aims to develop and enhance five specific characteristics (called protective factors) that help keep families strong and children safe from abuse and neglect. The protective factors serve as buffers, and when they are increased for families research shows there are lower incidences of child abuse and neglect.
As part of child abuse prevention work, One Place incorporates the five Protective Factors into all programming and supports offered to families so that all children and families can be safe, healthy, and living to their fullest potential. The work of One Place is designed to address the 5 Protective Factors in multiple ways:
One of the 5 Protective Factors is Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development, which is defined by the National Alliance of Children’s Trust & Prevention Funds (CTF Alliance) as the understanding of child development and parenting strategies that support physical, cognitive, language, social and emotional development. One Place offers many ways to strengthen this protective factor, such as the Triple P Positive Parenting Program. Children have a better, healthier start when parents and caregivers have the support and skills needed to raise them. Triple P is a parenting and family support system designed to prevent – as well as treat – behavioral and emotional problems in children and teenagers. It aims to prevent problems in the family, school, and community before they arise and to create family environments that encourage children to realize their potential. All North Carolina residents can sign up for Triple P Online, at no cost,
Another way that One Place addresses Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development is through the Early Head Start (EHS) program. Within the EHS Child Care Partnership provided at local child care programs, information on each child’s individual development is shared with parents through Teaching Strategies Gold (TS Gold) as well as Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) and the Ages & Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional. The TS Gold system is designed to support parents and caregivers to understand “widely held expectations for children from birth through third grade and enables a whole-child approach” (www.teachingstrategies.com, 2022). The ASQ: SE is “a parent-completed, highly reliable system focused solely on social-emotional development in young children” (www.agesandstages.com, 2022).
The ASQ and ASQ: SE developmental screening tools are used in multiple programs at One Place, including preschool programs. In the NC Pre-K program, parents are introduced to the ASQs during the enrollment process and provided ongoing information and updates around these throughout their child’s participation in NC Pre-K.
Another of the 5 Protective Factors is Social and Emotional Competence of Children, defined by CTF Alliance as family and child interactions that help children develop the ability to communicate clearly, recognize and regulate their emotions and establish and maintain relationships. Early Head Start works to strengthen this protective factor in a child’s life by supporting parents and caregivers to nurture a child’s development and create stronger family bonds. The program encourages the growth and development of infants and toddlers through a strong foundation of social-emotional competence for lifelong learning. Early Head Start programs are available to pregnant mothers, infants, and toddlers until age 3.
One Place’s preschool programs, including Three School and NC Pre-K, also support this protective factor. Preschool programs serve more than 700 children in both public and private sites annually. Through planned activities and play, children engage in critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork in a warm, safe, and culturally aware environment. Teachers collaborate with parents to support each child’s individual development and encourage social-emotional development and school readiness.
Early literacy programming at One Place also supports the social and emotional competence of children. When parents and caregivers spend time reading with their children, they strengthen bonds and attachment. Many of the books utilized in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, as well as those displayed at the Story Walks at the Parks have an emphasis on helping children to recognize, name, and verbalize their emotions. This helps children to expand their emotional vocabulary and regulate their own emotions.
Concrete Supports in Times of Need is defined as having access to concrete supports and services that address a family’s needs and help minimize stress caused by challenges. An example of a concrete support that many families need is child care. One Place addresses this need through the Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) program. Finding a high-quality child care provider that fits a family’s needs can often feel like an overwhelming task. One Place’s team helps families navigate and select a safe and nurturing program. The CCR&R program helps educate parents on the importance of high-quality child care and works with parents to connect them with child care centers, family childcare homes, after-school programs or half-day preschool programs where their children can grow and thrive in a safe and supportive environment.
One Place also provides concrete supports to parents through collaboration with SAFE Kids. This partnership allows certified staff to provide child safety seats to income-eligible families, install the seats, and educate parents on the safest options for children in their vehicles. The same certified staff are also complete Car Seat Safety Checks for parents and caregivers.
Social Connections are positive relationships that provide emotional, informational, instrumental, and spiritual supports. This protective factor comes into play at One Place in multiple ways. One Place offers opportunities for parents to connect with each other and learn from one another’s experiences with a virtual Back Porch Chat series. Back Porch Chats are NOT trainings but are a casual, fun, and interactive environment where participants can share their experiences, thoughts, and ideas with one another. Each Back Porch Chat has a different theme, but information about the 5 Protective Factors is woven into each one.
Another way in which One Place supports social connections for families is within EHS programming. EHS staff provide opportunities for parents to serve on their parent committee as well as attend various workshops or events in which part of the goal is for parents to have the opportunity to support one another.
All of the work at One Place, including its Child Advocacy Center, is designed to empower parental resilience in families. This protective factor is defined as the ability to recover from difficult life experiences, and often to be strengthened by and even transformed by those experiences. The mission of the organization supports this stating, “When they have challenges, we connect all children and their families to programs and resources that provide opportunities and hope.”
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. Join us in strengthening Children, Connecting Families, and Ending Child Abuse:
Click here for more information on programs and services provided by One Place or call us at 910-938-0336.