1. Family Assets Search Institute
Washington Association of School Social Workers Conference
October 2012
Helena Stephens
Family, Youth & Teen Services
City of Bellevue, Washington
October 20, 2012

2. Contact Information: Search Institute – Family Assets
Copyright (c) 2012 by Search Institute, 615 First Avenue NE, Suite 125, Minneapolis, MN 55413;
All rights reserved. Search Institute®  and Developmental Assets® are registered trademarks of Search Institute. 
Helena Stephens
Family, Youth & Teen Services
City of Bellevue – Parks & Community Services
office

3. Let’s Talk! Name Why social work? Experience with Developmental Assets
Why and how will you use Family Assets?

4. Search Institute’s - Developmental Assets
Origins of “Developmental Assets”
What has the research shown us
Why we frame our work around “Developmental Assets”?
Why is it important?

5. The Power of Assets - Origins
Most widely used approach
Assets are grounded in extensive research
Assets denotes qualities that young people need to avoid risks and to thrive.

6. Developmental Assets - Research
Positive experiences and characteristics for young people.
Powerful influences on adolescent behavior—
Protecting young people from many different risky behaviors, and promoting positive attitudes and actions.
More assets young people have, the less likely they are to engage in high-risk behaviors
More likely teens thrive.
Most assets are least likely to engage in four different patterns of high-risk behavior
Problem alcohol use, violence, illicit drug use, and sexual activity.
Including other problem behaviors, including tobacco use, depression and attempted suicide, antisocial behavior, school problems, driving and alcohol, and gambling

7. Developmental Assets - Framework
Adolescents
12-18 yrs.
Middle Childhood
8-12yrs.
Grades K–3
5-9 yrs.
Early Childhood
3-5yrs.

8. Assets – Why Is It Important?
2010 surveys of almost 150,000 6th- 12th grade youth in 202 communities

9. Assets –Working together for Youth
Promoting Positive Attitudes and Behaviors
more assets increases the chances that young people will have positive attitudes and behaviors

10. Family Assets Family support Positive family communication
Other adult relationships
Caring neighbors
Exercise: An example of how your family supported you either as a child or as an adult.

11. Family Assets
“The Family Assets focus on how families function, not on their structure.”
Illuminating the ways families live their lives together
How they relate to each other
Spend their time
Connect to others
Recognize all ages both contribute to and benefit from a strong family.

12. Family Assets – What are they?

13. Family Assets – The Average Family
The average American family with a 10- to 15-year old scores 47 out of 100

14. Family Assets – Myth vs. Fact
The number of assets a family has does NOT differ significantly by:
Parent education
Household income
1 vs. 2 parenting adults in the home
Immigration status
Parenting adults’ sexual orientation
Relationship to child
Gender

15. Family Assets - Demographics
Black and Hispanic families have more assets than Whites, Asians, and families of other races/ethnicities.
Ethnically and racially diverse families draw from different assets.
Black families score higher on ‘Connecting to Community’
Black and African American families value community and are well connected with neighborhood social institutions.
Hispanic family values suggest deep cultural roots that prioritize tradition, familial obligation, and extended family.
Important to interpret race and ethnic differences with caution

16. Family Assets - Geographical
Families living in urban communities have more assets than those in suburban and rural communities.

17. Family Assets – Families In Need
When families have basic needs that are unmet, they report fewer assets

18. Family Assets – how did we do?
American families have strong relationships, but struggle to overcome challenges and connect with the community.

19. What Do Assets Mean For Us?
The least common asset:
Close relationships with others in the community.
The most common asset:
Clarity of parents’ expectations for youth around issues like school performance and keeping adults informed about who they are with and what they are doing.

20. Family Assets Reveals
76% of parenting adults feel comfortable discussing topics like sex, bullying, religion, substance use, and money with their children, compared to 45% of 10- to 15-year olds.
1 in 4 parenting adults say they know how their youth will act from one day to the next. About the same ratio [28%] holds for youths’ reports of their parents.
Managing commitments - Parenting adults and youth struggle (only about 40% met the criterion) to navigate competing activities and expectations at home, school, and work.
½ of parenting adults say the 10- to 15-year old in their life supports their talents and interests by asking questions, attending performances, and helping out at home.
There is a 19% Gap between parenting adults’ and youths’ perceptions that all family members have a say in important decisions.
23% of youth of whom report feeling close or very close to their peers and the other adults in their school and neighborhood.

21. Family Assets – Decrease with Age
Scores on the overall Family Assets Index decrease in early adolescence (ages 10 to 13) and then rebound in middle adolescence (ages 13 to 15)
All five of the Family Asset categories except ‘Maintaining Expectations’ where the decrease and corresponding rebound occurs a year earlier.
These findings align with normal developmental changes during this period as adolescents begin to spend more time away from parents, prioritize time and emotional openness with friends, and experience more emotional volatility than they did as children.

22. More Family Assets = Healthier Behavior
The more assets a family has the more likely they are to engage in healthy behaviors:
Eat a balanced diet
6+ hours of sleep daily
30+ minutes of daily exercise
“Down time.”

23. Family Assets Related to Youth’s Academic Achievement
Families with more assets are more likely to have children who are actively engaged in school and who earn higher grades.

24. Families with more Assets are likely to:
Spend time together serving others
Participate in political activities
Act in socially responsible ways
Take action when others are treated unfairly.

25. It all begins with YOU! Finishing Up… Everyone can build Assets
All young people need them
Relationships are key
Asset building is an ongoing process
Consistent messages are important
Intentional repetition is important
It all begins with YOU!

26. Getting Started… For Parents… For You… Easy, instant information
Use it as part of your everyday conversation
Practice it
Place it in every program
Create events and activities that nurture the thinking
Make that connections
For Parents…
Give them the facts
Easy, no training involved
It will help them pick options to be involved
Gives them ways to connect to their own youth, their children’s friends and to you.

27. For more information…
Find out more about Search Institute and Developmental Assets at 
Find out more about the Family Asset framework at  institute.org/familyassets and 
Find Tools for Parents: How to Engage Busy Parents – the “Engage Busy Parents” Toolkit

28. Questions & Discussion