What are Protective Factors?

Protective Factors are critical for all children, youth, families and communities and can make the difference between families and communities thriving, instead of only surviving. 

Join us as we explore each Protective Factors and how we all have a role in making Nebraska the best place to be a child. 

Why are Protective Factors Important? 

By having Protective Factors in place, families and communities can buffer children against the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES), or negative outcomes within families. 

We’ve all heard of risk factors (ACES) that contribute to problems within families. Protective Factors are the positive counterpoint to risk factors. Protective Factors help families stay safe, healthy and strong.

According to national research, when multiple risk factors are present in a family,
there’s a greater likelihood of negative outcomes, including delayed
development and child maltreatment. But when multiple Protective Factors
enter the picture, we see a greater probability of positive outcomes for
children, families and communities.

What are Protective Factors? 

Understanding what the Protective Factors are is fundamental in creating resilient communities and fostering the well-being of children, youth, and families. There are five Protective Factors that when put into place in communities improve resilience in families. 

Protective Factor #1: Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development

Parents and caregivers who understand the usual course of child development are more likely to be able to provide their children with respectful communication, consistent rules and expectations, developmentally appropriate limits, and opportunities that promote independence. But no parent can be an expert in all aspects of infant, child, and teenage development or the most effective ways to support a child at each stage. 

When parents are not aware of normal development milestones, they may interpret their child’s behaviors in a negative way or do not know how to respond to and effectively manage a child’s behavior, they can become frustrated and may resort to inappropriate discipline. 

As children grow, parents and caregivers need to continue to foster their parenting competencies by learning about and responding to children’s emerging needs. Information about child development and parenting may come from many sources, including extended families, cultural practices, media, formal parent education classes, or a positive school environment that supports parents. 

Interacting with other children of similar ages also helps parents better understand their own child. Observing other caregivers who use positive techniques for managing children’s behavior provides an opportunity for parents to learn healthy alternatives. 

Protective Factor #2: Parental Resilience 

It is important for all parents and caregivers to know they have inner strengths or resources that can serve as a foundation for building resilience. These may include faith, flexibility, humor, communication skills, problem-solving skills, mutually caring relationships, and importantly, the knowledge to identify and access outside resources and services when needed. 

Multiple life stressors, such as a family history of abuse, or neglect, physical and mental health problems, marital conflict, substance abuse, domestic of community violence, and financial stressors can reduce a parent’s capacity to cope effectively with the typical day-to-day stressors of raising children. 

The parent or caregiver’s ability to deal with life’s ups and downs serves as a model of coping behavior for their children. This can help children learn critical self-regulation and problem-solving skills. 

Protective Factor #3: Social Connections

Parents and caregivers with a network of emotionally supportive friends, family, and neighbors often find that it is easier to care for their children and themselves. Most parents need people that they can call on when they need a sympathetic listener, advice, or concrete support such as transportation or child care. In other words, a positive community environment— 
and the parent’s ability to participate effectively in their community—is 
an important Protective Factor. 

Social Connections support children in multiple ways. Parent’s positive 
relationships give children access to other caring adults. Parents’ social interactions also 
model important relational skills for children and increase the likelihood that 
children will benefit from involvement in positive activities. As children grow older, positive friendships and support from peers provide another important source of social connection. 

Research has shown that parents who are isolated and have few social connections are at higher risk for child abuse and neglect. Helping parents identify resources and/or opportunities for them to make connections within their neighborhoods or communities may encourage isolated parents and caregivers to reach out. 

Protective Factor #4: Concrete Supports

Families whose basic needs (food, clothing, housing, and transportation) 
are met have more time and energy to devote to their children’s safety and 
well-being. When parents do not have steady financial resources, lack a stable 
living situation, lack health insurance or face a family crisis (such as a natural 
disaster or the incarceration of a parent), their ability to support their children’s 
healthy development may be at risk. Families whose economic opportunities 
are limited may need assistance connecting to social service supports such as 
housing, alcohol and drug treatment, domestic violence counseling or public 
benefits. 

Providing concrete supports that aid families in navigating life’s obstacles can proactively prevent crisis and mitigate instances of inadvertent neglect stemming from a parent or caregiver’s inability to meet the child’s needs.  

Protective Factor #5: Social and Emotional Competence of Children

Children’s emerging ability to form bonds and interact positively with others, self-regulate their emotions and behavior, communicate their feelings, and solve problems effectively has a positive impact on their relationships with their family, other adults, and peers. 

Parents and caregivers  grow more responsive to children’s needs—and less likely to feel stressed 
or frustrated—as children learn to tell parents what they need and how parental actions make them feel, rather than “acting out” difficult feelings. Like any developmental skill in children, social and emotional competence is a learned skill. Parents, caregivers, teachers, and the community at large all have a roll in actively teaching children how to recognize, verbalize, and regulate their emotions. 

Protective Factors and Child Abuse Prevention

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, which elevates the importance of preventative systems and programs that can help children and families thrive. Nebraska Children and Families Foundation houses Prevent Child Abuse Nebraska (PCAN), our state’s chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA). PCA is a national organization dedicated to promoting the healthy development of children through state chapters, public awareness, and advocating for national changes in policy that promote a nationwide preventative network. 

Prevent Child Abuse Nebraska is a partner in the statewide preventative initiative Bring Up Nebraska. It is a statewide effort that provides a framework for local organizations in local communities to collaborate to prevent problems from becoming a crisis for local families. 

Complex issues need collaborative solutions. With Bring Up Nebraska, the belief is that local communities are best situated and most motivated to understand their own needs and strengths as they relate to identifying solutions. Facilitating connections between local agencies can avert crises, potentially preventing involvement in the child welfare system or other higher systems of care. 

To learn more about Bring Up Nebraska or find your local collaborative, visit BringUpNebraska.org.