Protective Factors

For many years, researchers have been studying the factors that may put families at a higher risk for child abuse and neglect, as well as the conditions that prevent abuse, and support parents with raising physically and emotionally healthy children. Through this research, experts have discovered that there are six Protective Factors. When put into place, these factors can support families to parent in loving and nurturing ways by connecting to their child’s specific needs, using community resources and embracing their strengths.

The six Protective Factors include:

• Nurturing and Attachment
• Social and Emotional Competence of Children
• Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development
• Parental Resilience
• Social Connections
• Concrete Supports for Parents

For more information on Protective Factors to Promote Well-Being, visit Child Welfare Information Gateway.

The research-based principles of the Protective Factors Framework were foundational in the development of the Growing Great Kids® curriculum. For every home visit, Growing Great Kids provides strength-based, solution-focused guides for building conversations with parents through skill-driven activities. Both are aimed at reducing risk, while strengthening the protective buffers families are shaping around their children. The Growing Great Kids curriculum focuses on engaging parents, who themselves, may have had adverse childhood experiences.

As Home Visitors use the curriculum with families, they will support parents to:

• Foster the growth of secure attachments and support the social and emotional development of their infants and young children
• Develop parental empathy and respond sensitively to their child’s needs
• Grow in their understanding of early childhood development
• Build essential parenting skill sets
• Bolster their resiliency
• Grow skills and support networks for managing stress, while taking ownership for solving their problems
• Strengthen family foundations