Protective factors

Protective factors in terms of child development refer to a whole host of factors that help to protect children from abuse and mistreatment. Some of the most important factors in terms of protecting children have to do with fostering connections with caregivers. These may consist of several different factors as identified by various agencies in the U.S.

Social connectedness this refers to parents being able to get social support when they come to their children. Parents who can rely on others to fill in the gap when it comes to raising their children are better equipped when it comes to raising children.

Parental resilience is also important when it comes to raising children. Every effort should be made to foster resilience in parents and to empower them to do well in parenting their children. These are some of the most important protective factors when it comes to raising children.

Identification of maltreatment is also important. Catching abuse or maltreatment before it gets constant and ongoing is very important in terms of protecting children. Making sure abuse does not become systemic is very significant in terms of stemming ongoing or frequent abuse.

Other factors that may be protective factors and important in stemming the tide of abuse would be concrete support in times of need. Parents and families need to get support from others when they are experiencing problems within the family. Someone they can talk to, is quite important when they feel the need. Informing caretakers of the social emotional competencies of children are also important.

Parents need to understand the developmental stages of children and understand what behaviors should and should not be expected of children at different ages. At risk families need these protective factors in place to keep children safe from abuse and maltreatment. These protective factors have been developed by agencies and organizations all over the US. Certain initiatives have been set up to address these protective factors like parental cafes where parents can meet to exchange advice and can support each their with their parental concerns.

Self assessment for families is also important for at risk families to practice, so they know where their strengths and weaknesses lie in terms of parenting and protective factors for children. The ideas of making families resistant to the stress and strains of daily life through the practices of parental and community cafes seem to be a great step in implementing protective factors for children.