Strengthening Families 101

This webinar provided a Strengthening Families introduction for people who are new to the protective factors framework and the Strengthening Families approach. It also served as a free, pre-conference training for people attending the Together for Families conference October 14-16, 2020, but is open and available to anyone who would like an introduction or refresher

Strengthening Families as a Platform for Collaboration

This brief describes how Strengthening Families can be a powerful tool for bringing together various service providers and systems to better collaborate to improve outcomes for children and families. It includes the “daisy” graphic illustrating how all of the systems that touch the lives of children and families can find common ground in a focus

Strengthening Families Webinar: Technical Assistance Clinic

Cailin O’Connor of CSSP and Martha Reeder of the National Alliance of Children’s Trust and Prevention Funds responded to questions from participants about implementation of Strengthening Families. We covered a wide range of topics, including implementing Strengthening Families in a medical setting, how protective factors are related to ACEs, and how we can reach families

Help Me Grow: Strengthening Families and Supporting Caregiver Goals

The purpose of this paper is to describe how the Help Me Grow Model currently aligns with the Strengthening Families Approach and Protective Factors Framework; how HMG affiliates are currently using Strengthening Families; and how we envision the introduction of goal concordant care (GCC) affecting HMG affiliates’ impact on families’ protective factors. (23 pp)

Strengthening Families: Implementation in Child Welfare

This brief offers information on how Strengthening Families is used in child welfare systems, as well as the resources available for implementing Strengthening Families into child welfare systems in various states. (2 pp)

Strengthening Families Webinar: Legal Partnering for Child and Family Health

This webinar highlighted how new kinds of partnerships with public interest law allies—including some underway through the DULCE Learning Network—can expand access to justice for families and strengthen the early childhood sector. We’ll be joined by MLPB, which has pioneered an integrative approach to linking early childhood stakeholders with legal problem-solving assets.   

Strengthening Families Through Home Visiting

This PowerPoint provides an overview of Strengthening Families, the Protective Factors Framework, connections between Strengthening Families and home visits, and how home visitors help families build protective factors. (33 pp)

Strengthening Families Webinar: Draft Strategic Plan

This webinar engaged participants in reviewing and weighing in on a new strategic plan that is being developed for the Strengthening Families initiative. See how the plan is taking shape so far, and share your thoughts on what should be included and where you think we (CSSP and national, state, and local partners) should focus

Strengthening Families Networking Webinar: March 2017

This webinar discusses the mini-grant process that Strengthening Families West Virginia uses to help communities and programs make small but significant changes to help families build their protective factors.

Strengthening Families Networking Webinar: June 2017

This webinar discusses how family resource centers and family support networks help families build protective factors. It includes updates from the CSSP and the Alliance about ongoing work and opportunities.

About Strengthening Families

This brief explains Strengthening Families five key approaches to increase family strengths, enhance child development, and reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect. It includes a framework logic model.  (2 pp)

Strengthening Families Webinar: During a Pandemic and Beyond

Experts discussed how family support professionals and organizations have adapted to serve families during the COVID-19 outbreak, and what we are learning that we will carry forward from this time. Find the resources shared by the panelists here.

Using Strengthening Families to Achieve RTT-ELC Goals

This brief provides information based on analysis of state RTT-ELC plans and direct dialogue with states. It is organized around the five core functions that support Strengthening Families implementation and sustainability. (7 pp)

Strengthening Families Networking Webinar: May 2015

This webinar focuses on exciting efforts around the country to implement Strengthening Families at the community level, including new framing from the CSSP and slides you can use in your own presentations.

Strengthening Families Networking Webinar: June 2015

This webinar focuses on professional development strategies. Jessica Sugrue leads a group of other experienced trainers in a “fishbowl” conversation about strategies in implementing Strengthening Families across different fields.

Strengthening Families Networking Webinar: March 2016

This webinar focuses on how the Strengthening Families approach aligns with healthy relationship and marriage education. Also, Ted Futris and David Schramm discuss the National Extension Relationship and Marriage Education Model.

Strengthening Families Networking Webinar: May 2017

This webinar presents a new resource from Butterfly – Trainings that Transform. Also, Maureen Durning and Jane Zink discuss their book, “STRONG: Teaching the Strengthening Families Protective Factor Framework to Parents and Professionals.”

Strengthening Families Curriculum: Theory of Change

This infographic, part of the Strengthening Families curriculum, depicts the cyclical nature of community, systems, and policy changes, which help lead to child, family, and community well-being. (1pp)

Strengthening Families Curriculum: Social Connections

This handout, part of the Strengthening Families curriculum, is for caseworkers discussing the importance of constructive and supportive social connections—relationships with family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers, community members, and service providers. (2 pp)

November 2018 Strengthening Families Networking Webinar

This video explains revisions to the Head Start Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Framework and adaptations for Early Childhood Systems, intended for state, tribal, and territory leaders, administrators, providers, parents, and other decisionmakers in early childhood systems and programs. 

Strengthening Families Networking Webinar: October 2016

In this webinar, Tabitha Kelly discusses how Arlington County infuses a protective and promotive factors approach throughout their Division of Child and Family Services—including child welfare and behavioral health services.

Strengthening Families State Profile: North Carolina

This profile offers an overview of the Strengthening Families work in North Carolina as well as additional information on infrastructure, parent partnerships, ensuring accountability, deepening knowledge, shifting practice, and evolving work. (2 pp)

Strengthening Families Curriculum: Making Small but Significant Changes

This PowerPoint, part of the Strengthening Families curriculum, explores how protective factors help focus on safety, permanency, and well-being for children. It discusses how to apply critical thinking in child welfare and build protective factors through core practice areas. (18 pp)

Strengthening Families 101

This PowerPoint is an extensive introduction to Strengthening Families. It outlines its “four big ideas,” the five protective factors, pathways for improved outcomes, and implementation data. (30 pp)

Strengthening Families Curriculum: Child Welfare Practice Skills

This handout, part of the Strengthening Families curriculum, helps chart practice skills with regards to six crucial skill sets: engaging, assessing, decision-making/teaming, services and supports planning, intervening, and monitoring and case closure. (1 p)

Strengthening Families Curriculum: Youth Resilience

This handout, part of the Strengthening Families curriculum, comes from the Youth Thrive program and discusses the importance of youth resilience and having trusting relationships with caring, encouraging, and competent adults who provide positive guidance and promote high expectations. (2 pp)

Strengthening Families Curriculum: Concrete Support

This handout, part of the Strengthening Families curriculum, is from the Youth Thrive program and discusses the importance of assisting youth to identify, find, and receive concrete support. This ensures that they receive necessities everyone needs and deserves. (2 pp)

Strengthening Families Curriculum: Social Connections

This handout, part of the Strengthening Families curriculum, comes from the Youth Thrive program and discuses the importance of youth having social connections who care, who are non-judgmental listeners, who offer guidance, and who encourage high expectations. (2 pp)

Strengthening Families Curriculum: Making an Ecomap

This handout, part of the Strengthening Families curriculum, is for caseworkers to help individuals map out the nature of their relationship to the various systems that surround them on a daily basis. (1 p)

Strengthening Families Curriculum: Concrete Supports

This handout, part of the Strengthening Families curriculum, is for caseworkers discussing the importance of helping parents identify, find, and receive concrete supports. This will ensure that they receive necessities everyone needs and deserves. (2 pp)

Strengthening Families Curriculum: Parental Resilience

This handout, part of the Strengthening Families curriculum, is for caseworkers discussing the importance of how parents deal with stressors and manage stress through adversity—both personally and with relation to their child. (2 pp)

Strengthening Families Webinar: Preventing Child Neglect by Building Protective Factors

This webinar included segments from one of the training sequences from the National Alliance of Children’s Trust and Prevention Funds’ new four-part training, “Let’s Talk About . . . Preventing Child Neglect.” Participants were also introduced to the remaining three training sequences in the series and other valuable resources related to preventing child neglect. 

Strengthening Families Evaluation Portal (SFEP)

This brief explores Mosaic’s re-designed evaluation portal, which launched in conjunction with CSSP’s four new program self-assessments. The system addresses the needs of programs, state or national leaders, and evaluators. (3 pp)

Strengthening Families Networking Webinar: July 2015

This webinar discusses efforts in three states to help parents build protective factors through their involvement in the corrections systems—including how correctional systems are taking a protective factors approach with parents.

Strengthening Families Networking Webinar: May 2016

This webinar discusses CSSP’s framework of community approaches to toxic stress—how efforts to build protective factors, reduce sources of toxic stress, and implement trauma-informed care fit together at the community level.

Strengthening Families: Social Connections

This brief discusses the importance of constructive and supportive social connections—relationships with family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers, community members, and service providers. (2 pp)

Strengthening Families: Teaming

This brief charts the protective factors with an overview of their definitions and examples of how teaming builds each one. It includes information on developmental needs and caregiver decision-making. (2 pp)

The Strengthening Families National Network

The Strengthening Families National Network includes national partner organizations and state leadership teams each supporting implementation of Strengthening Families in their own jurisdictions, constituencies, and spheres of influence.   About the Strengthening Families National Network National Strengthening Families Partners (COMING SOON) Overview of State Strengthening Families Implementation (2020) Implementation in specific fields, as of 2020:

CSSP’s Strengthening Families Curriculum

In partnership with several jurisdictions that are implementing Strengthening Families in their child welfare systems, CSSP has developed a scripted curriculum introducing the Protective Factors Framework and the small but significant changes workers can make in their child welfare practice. Some of the curriculum content will also be relevant for other audiences. Overview of the

Strengthening Families and Evidence-Based Programs: Making the Link

The Strengthening Families approach can be used in any setting serving children and families, typically without making huge changes in daily practice. Programs seeking to align their practice with Strengthening Families, and agencies seeking to support grantees in making these changes, will find guidance on this page. Families can get support for building protective factors

Tools for Strengthening Families Leadership Teams

Core Functions of Strengthening Families Implementation Overview handout Core Functions and Roles at Each Level of Strengthening Families Implementation Leadership Team Roles Coordinating a Strengthening Families Initiative Archive of monthly Strengthening Families networking webinars

The Research Behind Strengthening Families

As a research-informed approach, Strengthening Families is the product of both foundational and ongoing research and knowledge development. The Strengthening Families Approach and Protective Factors Framework: Branching Out and Reaching Deeper The Research Behind Strengthening Families Balancing ACEs with HOPE: New Insights into the Role of Positive Experience on Child and Family Development

Translated Strengthening Families Materials

Strengthening Families materials have been translated into many other languages by various international, national, and local partners. Click here to view an open-source listing of those translated materials and where to find them; click here to add your own translated materials to the list. In addition, we highlight the following core materials that are available

Strengthening Families

Strengthening Families is a research-informed approach to increase family strengths, enhance child development, and reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect. It is based on engaging families, programs, and communities in building five key protective factors.

The Strengthening Families Movement: Looking Back and Looking Ahead

In 2001, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation approached the Center for the Study of Social Policy to develop a new approach to child abuse and neglect prevention—one that would reach millions of families before there was any concern about maltreatment or involvement with the child welfare system. CSSP explored the research about what makes families thrive

New Strengthening Families Resources for Parents and Providers in Response to COVID-19

Between worries about the health of their loved ones and themselves, financial concerns, lack of child care, and the struggle to support school-age kids with virtual learning, so many families are experiencing increased stress right now as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to support these families, last week we released two new

Help Shape the Future of Strengthening Families!

We are in the process of developing a new strategic plan for the Strengthening Families initiative. (Read more about the history of the Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework and its implementation around the country in a blog post from January, or check out all the materials in the Strengthening Families section of our website.) This