Strengthening Families

Every system that a young child and his/her family has contact with is a partner in keeping a child safe and family strong. Collaboration between the child welfare system and health and human services providers is crucial. The St. Louis Family & Community Partnership aimed its effort at connecting child care centers, parents and communities with the resources and support each need to ensure the best possible outcomes for children.

An early scan of existing family research shows conditions that produce a lower incidence of child abuse and neglect revealed several "protective factors" or attributes. These factors serve as buffers, helping parents who might otherwise be at risk for abuse and neglect to find resources, supports, or coping strategies that allow them to parent effectively, even under stress. When these factors are present, child maltreatment appears to be less likely to occur. Now there is evidence to suggest that early childhood programs that reach out to parents may also be the best child abuse and neglect prevention strategy.

Health and human service providers across the country can play a significant role in strengthening families and preventing abuse and neglect. Strengthening Families is a conceptual framework and approach to preventing child abuse and neglect that is organized around evidence-based protective factors that programs can incorporate and build upon the good work they are already doing with the children and their families.

Protective factors help parents use resources, support, and strategies that allow them to parent more effectively, even under stress. Research shows that quality care and education for children can enhance:

Through a grant from the Children's Trust Fund, SLFCP is partnering with the Child Day Care Association in assisting ten child care programs in the city of St. Louis to conduct a self assessment around the five protective factors. After the assessment is completed the programs form goals to build on their strengths in order to improve services to their children and families. Through networking with other child care programs and reaching out to the community for additional resources, the programs are becoming more effective in meeting their families' needs.

The Strengthening Families Missouri initiative is based on the work of the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP), the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the National Alliance of Children's Trust & Prevention Funds. In St. Louis, leadership for the Strengthening Families Workgroup is jointly provided by Child Day Care Association (CDCA) and Kids Hope United. For more information contact:

Andi Schleicher, CDCA (314) 531-1412 or Dahna Willis, Kids Hope United (314) 241-4345.