Child Protection vs.

Child Well-Being: Gaps and Opportunities to

Support Family Resilience with the Strengthening Families Framework
Vilches, 1
Silvia ; McDaniel, 2
S.(Beth) ; Sherman, 3
Haley ; & Burks, Brianna 4

Strengthening Families Phase I: Scoping Review Implications Phase 2: Statewide

Framework Phase I was a comprehensive scoping for Practitioners, Researchers, and Stakeholder Discussions
review of research in 6 topics areas Policy Makers
Federal funding mandates require states Groups
to utilize the "Strengthening Families that reflects outcomes relevant to the
Framework," a research-informed 5 Protective Factors. Develop and use research-
approach that aims to shift policy and Search Topics N=
informed prevention 7 Recruitment
Regions
Based on
Alabama
practice to build protective factors that
1. Family supports 42 programming May-July
Cooperative
Extension
reduce the occurrence of child abuse 2019 System regions
2. Parenting education 69 and ADCANP
and neglect (CAN) (Browne, 2014)
3. Community supports 31 Utilize evaluations that Results
forthcoming
administrative
regions
The State of Alabama commissioned a 4. Diversity 31 specifically assess prevention
study to understand community 5. Special needs 15
strengths and needs based on the SFF. 6. Public health 52 Expand focus of prevention
SFF: 5 Protective Factors work from individuals to
Results: Gaps families, communities, and
1. Parental resilience
• Absence of program outcomes systems • Focus group discussions to hear
2. Social connections
3. Knowledge of parenting and child • Lack of Prevention vs. intervention
about community strengths &

development • Need for: Advocate for research-

needs
o May – July 2019
o Attention to real-world conditions
4. Concrete support in times of need
of programs delivery
informed funding decisions o Representing 7 regions in
5. Social and emotional competence of Alabama
o Connection to documented child
children
maltreatment outcomes vs. risk
• Participants: Community leaders,
Promote cultural competency service providers
o Greater attention to CANP among
special needs children
• 15 focus groups (total N = 99)
o 7 in-person
o Greater attention to cultural
Institutional Community o 8 via Zoom (videoconferencing)
Policy Resources competency Consider uniqueness of
Children don’t grow up in programs… families during program References
They grow up in families and in development,
Individual
and Family communities. • For upcoming reports,
U. Bronfenbrenner (CSSP, 2018) implementation, and
• e-mail request to:
evaluation • deiph@auburn.edu

Phase 1: Winter 2017 Phase 2: Summer 2019 Phase 3: Winter 2020

Scoping Review Statewide Stakeholder Discussion Groups Community Asset Mapping

Auburn University, Department of Human Development and Family Studies. Principal Investigator (svilches@auburn.edu) , 2Project Manager (coopes1@auburn.edu), Data Collection Coordinator (hms0063@auburn.edu), Lead Undergraduate Research Assistant (bpb0018@auburn.edu)