Proctective Factors Articles: Family

Strengthening Families Through Early Care & Education. What Are The Protective Factors? Washington, D.C. Center For the Study Of Social Policy 2009. Retrieved on March 9, 2012 from www.CSSP.ORG/www.strengtheningfamilies.net

This article discusses the five protective factors and explains why each of them are significant to families. The five proctective factors discussed in this article are parental resilience, social connections, concrete support in times of need, knowledge of parenting and child development, and social and emotional competence of children. "Parental resilience is the ability to constructively cope with and bounce back from all types of challenges." (CSSP) This is important to many families who are facing challenging times with loss of jobs, housing, and the everyday issues of meeting lifes challenges. "Friends, family members, neighbors, and other members of a community provide emotional support and concrete assistance to parents." Social connections are an important and crucial component in family protective factors. "Parents need access to the types of concrete supports and services that can minimize the stress of difficult situations, such as family crisis, a condition such as substance abuse, or stress associated with lack of resources." Ensuring that parents receive the support they need can help reassure them build protective factors.
Families today need resources and support to help them understand what services are available to them and for their situation. "Having accurate information about raising young children and appropriate expectations for their behavior help parents better understand and care for children." (CSSP) Finally, the article looks at why protective factors are important to the development of children. "A child's ability to interact positively with others, to self-regulate, and to effectively communicate his or her emotions has a great impact on the parent-child relationship." (CSSP)

This article would be beneficial to parents, caregivers, and teachers because it explains the concept of each protective factor. Families today are facing tremendous amounts of stress and this article details why each factor is important and provides good resources to parents.