5 Strengthening Families Protective Factors
What are the protective factors & why are they one of CBEL’s frameworks?
At CBEL, we believe families are the solution, not the problem, and that strong families are the foundation of thriving children and communities. That’s why we integrate the Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework into our work. This research-based approach identifies five key protective factors that support parents, caregivers, and families in creating safe, stable, and nurturing environments where children can flourish.
The protective factors framework is more than a guide for families—it informs how programs, services, and policies can be designed to prevent child maltreatment and promote healthy outcomes. Across the country, more than 30 states are using this framework to shape early childhood programs, child welfare, and other family-serving systems, emphasizing everyday actions that help families build resilience and capacity.
At CBEL, we use the Strengthening Families approach to:
Support parents as their children’s first and most important teachers.
Strengthen connections within neighborhoods and the broader community.
Guide our programs, services, and partnerships with a strengths-based, family-centered lens.
By centering families as the solution and integrating these protective factors into our mission and practice, CBEL helps families and children thrive—today and for generations to come.
For more information about the framework, visit www.strengtheningfamilies.net.
Positive Social Connections
Positive relationships that provide emotional, informational, instrumental and spiritual support
Tangible Support in Times of Need
Access to concrete support and services that address a family’s needs and help minimize stress caused by challenges
Parental Resilience
Managing stress and functioning well when faced with challenges, adversity and trauma
Knowledge of Parenting Skills & Child Development
Understanding child development and parenting strategies that support physical, cognitive, language, social and emotional development
Social & Emotional Competence of Children
Family and child interactions that help children develop the ability to communicate clearly, recognize and regulate their emotions and establish and maintain relationships
Learn More About Strengthening Families:
Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework – Center for the Study of Social Policy
Everyday Actions to Build Protective Factors
Research and Evidence Supporting Strengthening Families
Statewide Implementation of Strengthening Families