1. Tools to Support Strengthening Families Implementation
This presentation includes slides about a wide variety of tools available to support implementation of the Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework:
Materials describing the Strengthening Families Approach and Protective Factors Framework
Core slides about the protective factors and the everyday actions that help families build them
Program self-assessment tools
Online Data System
Tools to measure protective factors
Online training
Café Conversations

2. Materials Describing the Strengthening Families Approach and the Protective Factors

3. The Strengthening Families Approach and Protective Factors Framework: Branching Out and Reaching Deeper
A synthesis of the ideas and research that further informs the Strengthening Families Approach and Protective Factors Framework

4. Research briefs about the protective factors

5. Core meanings of the protective factors
Distills the information from the research briefs
Concrete definition of each protective factor
Core-Meanings-of-the-SF-Protective-Factors.pdf

6. Core slides about the protective factors – to include in your presentations

7. Protective factors and everyday actions
Slides are available on strengtheningfamilies.net that go into detail for each protective factor:
Overall definition
Core meanings from our updated literature review and research briefs
Everyday actions that can be taken in any setting where we interact with children and their families
2014/SFProtectiveFactorsExpanded.pptx

8. Additional slides for specific groups
For each protective factor, additional content, such as:
What we might see in families involved in CPS, and the caseworker role
What we might see in families touched by domestic violence
Concrete everyday actions for early care and education providers
Designed for use in orienting/training workers in those specific fields

9. The Strengthening Families Logic Model

10. This graphic summarizes how implementation of the Strengthening Families approach leads to the outcomes we are working toward: strengthened families, optimal child development and reduced likelihood of child abuse and neglect – as shown in the box farthest to the right.
The second box from the right (light blue) shows the protective factors that families are supported to build when they experience program and worker practice as described in the stacked boxes. Shifts in program culture, policies and everyday practice will support parents in building these protective factors, just as workers’ knowledge, skills, approach to parents and everyday actions will. (Workers can make these changes on their own – and often do – but those efforts will be much more successful when their organizations make shifts that support and enable those changes.)
The rust-colored box on the left describes the functions that are carried out by leaders – at any level – to influence the shifts in program and worker practice that help families build their protective factors and achieve better outcomes.
We believe the future of Strengthening Families is in creating a “new normal” for child and family serving organizations and systems, so that they see their work as building protective and promotive factors to reduce the potential for child maltreatment, to bolster resilience and mitigate the impact of traumatic events when they occur, AND to create the best possible environment for development of children and youth.

11. The Strengthening Families Self-Assessments for Child- and Family-Serving Programs

12. About the Self-Assessments
Key implementation tool for programs adopting a Strengthening Families Approach
Helps programs identify “small but significant changes” that enhance their ability to build protective factors
Created based on a national study of exemplary practice
Designed to be used flexibly and to lead you to a concrete action plan
Helps programs identify strengths & areas to focus
Not an evaluation tool but a tool for continuous improvement
About The Strengthening Families Program Self-Assessment:
Created based on a one-year study of exemplary practice
Core tool for shifting program practice toward a Strengthening Families approach
Designed to both identify strengths and develop action plans around areas of focus
Built around the everyday actions workers can take to support families in building protective factors
Not an evaluation tool but a tool for programmatic improvement

13. Four versions for different types of programs
In the past, two versions of the self-assessment were available
One for any kind of child and family serving programs
One for family child care providers
We heard from users that there was a need for versions of the self-assessment specific to different kinds of programs. Strengthening Families self-assessments are now available for these four program types.
We credit the Florida Home Visiting Coalition for their initial impetus to adapt the Strengthening Families self-assessment tool for use by home visiting programs. They also came up with the idea to organize the tool by the Protective Factors.
While there is significant overlap in content across these separate program versions, there are also specific strategies aligned with the particular context of each setting. These changes may be as simple as changes in language, or as extensive as the addition of sections that are particular to areas of practice within these settings.
The Program Self-Assessment tools are applicable to relevant programs of any size, budget or structure. In general, the strategies described can be implemented without creating new staff positions, making significant changes to existing facilities or raising additional financial resources.

14. Five Protective Factor Sections + “Special Circumstances” Sections
Organized around protective factors and the everyday actions that help families build them
Everyday actions
Five Protective Factor Sections + “Special Circumstances” Sections
Each of the revised Strengthening Families program self-assessments is organized by the five protective factors in the Strengthening Families framework.
There are also “Special Circumstances” sections
More about everyday actions and the special circumstances sections on the following slides.

15. Within each protective factor, a set of “Everyday Actions” describe a variety of experiences and resources that programs can provide, which help families build and strengthen that protective factor. Each Everyday Action is accompanied by a list of concrete, actionable, observable and measurable items that programs can adopt.

16. Special Circumstances Sections
Responding to Possible Child Abuse or Neglect (included in all four self-assessments)
Supporting a Child’s Transitions to School or Other Programs (Center-based ECE and Family Child Care tools)
There are also “Strengthening Families in Special Circumstances” sections which include concrete actions related to Responding to Possible Child Abuse or Neglect (included in all four self-assessments) and Supporting a Child’s Transitions to School or Other Programs (for the early care and education and family child care tools).

17. ECE Self-Assessments are Tiered
ECE Center-based
Baseline (i.e., any program)
Mid-level (i.e., more attention to parent engagement)
High (i.e., high attention to parent engagement and support)
Comprehensive Service Programs, for those centers that offer a comprehensive range of supports and services in addition to ECE (e.g., Head Start, family support centers).
Family Child Care
Baseline (i.e., simple day-to-day interactions),
Mid-level (i.e., more intentional focus on supporting and engaging parents)
High (i.e., reflect high level of focus on parent engagement and support— may be most appropriate or easiest to achieve for providers that are themselves receiving systemic support).
Our goal was to facilitate use in states which are using the self-assessment in their QRIS systems
We were very careful not to define tiers around quality, but rather on intentionality of focus on parent engagement and support
Items in both tools are divided into three tiers that represent different depths of implementation in the program:
Baseline (what all programs can do very easily)
Mid-level (more attention to parent engagement) and
High (i.e., high level of focus on parent engagement and support)
For the FCC tool, we tried to be attentive to the capacity of family child care providers and not expect more than most programs can reasonably do. The “High” tier is most appropriate for providers that are themselves receiving systemic support.
The center-based tool includes a fourth tier, Comprehensive Service Programs, for those centers that offer a comprehensive range of supports and services to children and families in addition to early care and education (e.g., Head Start, family support centers, etc.).
More than 100 reviewers representing providers, program directors, local and state-level administrators and other stakeholders from around the country provided input on the placement of items within the tiers.

18. Online Strengthening Families Data System

19. Online Data System Suite of Tools
Registration
Self-Assessment
Action Planning
Parent & Staff Surveys
Reports
The Online Strengthening Families Data System
Programs may choose to enter their self-assessment data in the online Strengthening Families data system, provided by our national partner Mosaic Network, Inc. Programs can create an account, enter their self-assessment data, develop an action plan based on their self-assessment and collect or enter parent surveys and staff surveys. A variety of reports can be generated in the system to help programs analyze and document their self-assessment results or help state-level administrators track aggregate data across programs. All four Strengthening Families self-assessment tools are available at

20. Parent and Staff Surveys
PARENT SURVEY (Protective Factors Survey)
Measures changes in parental protective factors
Developed by the FRIENDS National Resource Center and the University of Kansas
Four national field tests to establish reliability and validity
STAFF SURVEY
Looks at changes in staff attitudes, behaviors and skills
Developed by a collaborative team from 7 states—with review and input from evaluators in 3 states
Has not been extensively tested

21. Tools to Measure Protective Factors

22. Parent’s Assessment of Protective Factors
An individualized, strengths-based measure to assess the presence, strength, and growth of parents’ self-reported beliefs, feelings, and behaviors that are regarded as indicators of the Strengthening FamiliesTM Protective Factors. 
It includes 36 statements to which a parent is asked to indicate the degree to which the statement is like the parent or what the parent believes.
It is intended for parents of young children who range in age from birth - 8 years old.

23. Parent’s Assessment of Protective Factors
Parents’ Assessment of Protective Factors inventory yields valid and reliable results that can be used to:
(a) prompt specific shared conversations with a parent about building or reinforcing their protective factors;
(b) engage a parent as a partner in developing and implementing a service plan; and
(c) mobilize a parent’s resources to meet their unique, individualized needs in order to strengthen the parent’s capabilities and provide a family environment that promotes optimal child development and reduces the likelihood of negative child and family outcomes.

24. The Protective Factors Survey (PFS)
An evidence-based, (reliability and validity tested) 20-item caregiver-completed tool used to help measure changes in family protective factors.
Provides feedback to agencies for continuous improvement and evaluation purposes. It is not intended for individual assessment, placement, or diagnostic purposes. Agencies should rely on other instruments for clinical use.
Developed through a partnership with FRIENDS and The University of Kansas with input from multiple experts in the field, parent leaders, prevention workers, and hundreds of families.
Being widely used in states across the country.
This project was initiated to help programs better assess changes in family protective factors, a major focus of prevention work.
The primary purpose of the Protective Factors Survey is to provide feedback to agencies for continuous improvement and evaluation purposes. The survey results are designed to provide agencies with the following information:
• A snapshot of the families they serve
• Changes in protective factors
• Areas where workers can focus on increasing individual family protective factors
The PFS is not intended for individual assessment, placement, or diagnostic purposes. Agencies should rely on other instruments for clinical use.
Easier to measure increasing PF rather than preventing child abuse.
Easier to engage families by increasing PF rather than decreasing risk factors.

25. When PFS scores were high…
Positive correlations
Effective coping was high
Physical and emotional health was good
Positive emotions were high
Optimism was high
Negative Correlations
Child abuse and neglect potential was low
Stress was low
Depression was low
Negative emotions were low
Pessimism was low
Casandra
Shifting focus:
Easier to measure increasing PF rather than preventing child abuse.
Easier to engage families by increasing PF rather than decreasing risk factors.

26. Online Training

27. Bringing the Protective Factors Framework to Life in Your Work
Online training to support implementation of the Strengthening Families™ Protective Factors Framework in multiple settings
Systems may use for awarding CEUs, credit
Free of charge
7 courses, each about 2 hours in length
Introduction to the Framework (also useful as a stand-alone orientation)
A course on each of the 5 Protective Factors
A wrap-up course that moves users from knowledge to action
Find at
Contact

28. Café Conversations

29. Taking a Parent-to-Parent Approach
Community and Parent Cafes
Reframing using parent friendly language
Using a World Café Approach to build a comfortable, parent-led space
Tying to a larger parent leadership and engagement infrastructure
Harvesting to inform systems and structures

30. The basis: World Café
A method for “engaging people in conversations that matter”
Includes a set of design principles and a basic strategy for engaging people in small-group conversations
Cafés designed for parents to build protective factors are just one of many ways the World Café method has been adapted and used around the world
For more:

31. Parent Café
Developed by parent leaders as part of Strengthening Families-Illinois in 2007, and is now housed with Be Strong Families
Provide a safe, non-judgmental opportunity for parents and caregivers to: build their protective factors, talk about what it means to keep their children safe and families strong and build parent leadership  
Parent Café training, a fidelity framework, “Parent Café in a Box” and evaluation tools are available from Be Strong Families at

32. Community Café
Developed by parent volunteers in Washington State and is now supported by a volunteer Community Café Leadership Team
Designed to respond to community needs and concerns as well as reflect the local community culture
Café questions may or may not directly address the protective factors, but hosts use the Protective Factors Framework as a guiding framework
Through Community Cafés, parents and caregivers build their leadership, resilience, social connections and other protective factors
Leadership Team offers an online orientation kit as well as orientation and guidance at