Affirming the need to focus on what helps children and youth succeed

by Kids Forward | May 23, 2014

Home 9 WisKids Count 9 Affirming the need to focus on what helps children and youth succeed

Research and conversations on child and family well-being often focus on the risk factors that contribute to poor outcomes. Though it is critical to understand risk factors, it is equally important to understand protective factors. Protective factors are conditions or attributes of individuals, families, and communities that help buffer the negative impact of exposure to risky situations. Understanding protective factors helps guide prevention strategies that help build protective factors for at and in-risk children and families.

Research on resilience, protective factors, and developmental assets has been going on for a while, and the Administration for Children, Youth and Families recently released Promoting Protective Factors for In-Risk Families and Youth: A Brief for Researchers. This review of research on protective factors sought to uncover protective factors in runaway and homeless youth, youth exposed to domestic violence, youth transitioning out of foster care, victims of child abuse and neglect, and pregnant and parenting teens.

Often in the juvenile justice world our focus is on removing “risk factors”, but it is not enough to simply understand what puts children and families at risk. We must understand how to build and promote resiliency by building protective factors around our vulnerable populations.

By Emily Bergman and Jim Moeser

Join us to build a Wisconsin where every child and family thrives.

Recent

Fact Sheet: Every Healthy Baby Starts with Healthy Parents

Fact Sheet: Every Healthy Baby Starts with Healthy Parents

The below fact sheet was developed by Kids Forward with the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.  Download as PDF Providing postpartum Medicaid coverage for 12 months will help ensure both parents and babies in Wisconsin thrive together....

WEBINAR: A State Budget that Works for Every Kid

WEBINAR: A State Budget that Works for Every Kid

Rebuild. Reclaim. Reimagine Wisconsin A State Budget that Works for Every Kid Wednesday, April 212-1:30pm CST Register Now In February, Governor Evers named 2025 the "Year of the Kid" while introducing his proposed budget.   We're thrilled to hear it!   The state...

Our Response to Governor Evers’ Budget Proposal

Our Response to Governor Evers’ Budget Proposal

Last night, Governor Evers shared a budget that starts to address some of the challenges confronting families across the state. During the “Year of the Kid,” we look forward to working on both sides of the aisle to ensure that the state budget includes every kid in...

Sign up for Emails

Your address helps us identify your legislators and the most relevant messages to send you.