Idaho Op-Ed Highlights Strengthening Families Protective Factors
Mar 17 2010The following op-ed was originally published in the Idaho Statesman on March 14, 2010.
In December, Anna Webb and the Statesman tackled the topic of child well-being in Idaho so comprehensively in the wake of Robert Manwill’s death. This series provided a clear picture of where Idaho is doing well and where we fall short.
Now, are we willing to do what needs to be done to prevent the maltreatment of children in Idaho? We know that investing in children and families provides the best return on our investment of public money, but are we ready to do whatever it takes to provide that investment?
Preventing child abuse and neglect is all about strong families and providing supports to strengthen families where necessary so that children can thrive. Protective factors are the strengths and resources that families can draw on when life gets difficult.
The five protective factors listed here have been proven to prevent child abuse and therefore guide the work of the Idaho Children’s Trust Fund and the organizations we work with throughout the state. We know that when families have these capacities, they will flourish. Knowing what the factors are makes it possible for families to develop them with or without the help of programs.
1. Parental resilience: Can parents bounce back when they hit tough situations? Helping parents solve problems, place difficulties in perspective and draw on trusting relationships and other resources when things go wrong can make a big difference when a family is under stress.
2. Social connections: Helping parents build a social network goes a long way to decreasing their isolation - a major factor in child abuse and neglect. Friends and family fill this role, of course, but organized parent groups like Baby Steps or hospital-based Baby and Me groups play that role when we need other connections.
3. Knowledge of parenting and child development: Knowing ways to parent or what to expect at different developmental levels lessens stress for parents. There are many great parenting programs offered in the Treasure Valley that teach skills and provide support to parents.
Mercy Medical Center in Nampa, for example, offers Nurturing Parenting, a program with strong evidence behind it for preventing child abuse.
4. Concrete support in times of need: Parents who know what’s available to them and how to get it - should they ever need it - are less stressed when difficult situations occur. We have heard much lately about people who have had to access services like food stamps for the first time and really didn’t know how to go about getting them.
How can we reduce the stigma so that families’ basic needs are covered when they are going through hard times?
5. Developing the social and emotional competence of children: How parents or other caregivers support children’s emotional and social expressions profoundly influences how young children learn, develop self-esteem and understand the world around them. Family Advocates provides Parents as Teachers, for example, that helps parents learn how to develop their children’s social and emotional competency. Idaho Parents Unlimited is another organization that can help parents who have children with disabilities.
We can all play a role in developing these protective factors in our own families and in the families of our relatives and friends. Small actions like holding a crying baby can make a difference in a parent’s life. Tell the parent whose child cried during an airplane flight that you understand that sometimes parenting is hard. It all helps relieve the stress that can sometimes lead to child maltreatment.
As a state we also need to invest in proven programs and strategies for strengthening families and preventing child abuse. As Gov. Butch Otter said in his State of the State address: “We’re all in this together.”
When it comes to our children’s future, nothing could be truer.
Sherman is executive director of the Idaho Children’s Trust Fund/Prevent Child Abuse Idaho, which focuses on preventing child abuse and neglect.
