How HFA Supports Protective Factors
The Center for the Study of Social Policy has defined 5 protective factors:
1. Knowledge of parenting and child development
2. Parental resilience
3. Social connections
4. Concrete support in times of need
5. Nurturing and attachment (social and emotional competence of children)
Protective factors are incorporated into every Healthy Families America program through the program goals and critical elements. In addition, home visitors take steps to foster and support the growth of protective factors in program families.
1. Knowledge of Parent and Child Development
Goal #2: Cultivate and strengthen nurturing parent-child relationships
Goal #3: Promote healthy childhood growth and development
Critical elements:
#5: Cultural Sensitivity
#6: Support for parents as well as children, parent-child interaction and child development, goal setting,
#7: Community linkages
#11: 3, 6, & 12- month trainings requirements
#12: Supervision
Home visitor activities:
Parent Survey
Values activity
“What I’d Like for my Child”
Developmental Screening
Depression screening
Reflective Strategies
Goal Setting
Curriculum
2. Parental Resilience
Goal #4: Enhance family functioning by reducing risk and building protective factors
Critical Elements
#3 Voluntary choice & trust building
#5 Cultural Sensitivity
#6 Support for parents as well as children, parent-child interaction and child development, goal setting
#7 Community linkages
#12 Supervision
Governance
Home visitor Activities:
Creative Outreach
Trust Builders
Strong Families
Values Activity
Problem Talk & Reflective Strategies
Goal Setting
Initial Assessment/Parent Survey
Strength-based Beliefs for Change
5 Guideposts
Curriculum
3. Social Connections
Goal #1: Build & sustain community partnerships to systematically engage overburdened families in home visiting svcs prenatally or at birth
Goal #4: Enhance family functioning by reducing risk and building protective factors
Critical Elements
#1: Initiate services prenatally or at birth
#2: Utilize a standardized assessment tool to identify strengths and needs
#7: Community linkages
Governance
Home visitor activities:
Creative engagement
Problem Talk
Parent Groups
Goal Setting
Curriculum
Strong Families
4. Concrete Support in Times of Need
Goal #1: Build & sustain community partnerships to systematically engage overburdened families in home visiting svcs prenatally or at birth
Goal #4: Enhance family functioning by reducing risk and building protective factors
Critical Elements:
#1: Initiate services prenatally or at birth
#2: Utilize a standardized assessment tool to identify strengths and needs
#4: Provide services intensively for minimum of 6 months
#7: Community linkages
Governance
Home visitor activities:
Parent Survey
Engaging dads
Strong Families
Problem Talk
Goal Setting
Communication Strategies
Advocacy
Curriculum
5. Social and Emotional Competence of Children
Goal #2: Cultivate and strengthen nurturing parent-child relationships
Goal #3: Promote healthy childhood growth and development
Critical Elements:
#6: Support for parents as well as children, parent-child interaction and child development, goal setting
Home visitor activities:
Parent Survey
Values Activity
Prenatal Attachment Questions
Labor and Birthing Attachment Questions
“What I’d Like for my Child”
Developmental Screening
Explore and Wonder
Strategic Accentuating the Positive
Feel Felt Found
Normalizing
Goal Setting
Curriculum
Protective Factors: The Center for the Study of Social Policy, www.cssp.org, www.strengtheningfamilies.net