Strengthening Families: Protective Factors and Family Resource Center Participation

Abstract

Family Resource Centers are key in child maltreatment prevention by strengthening parental protective factors through community-based interventions. This study examined the impact of a Family Resource Center model on protective factors, analyzing pre- and post-service changes using the ecological model as a framework. The research question asked: Do parental protective factors change before and after participation in Family Hope Centers? Paired-sample t-tests on the Life Skills Progression revealed significant improvements in resilience, social connections, parenting knowledge, and children’s social-emotional competence. Moderate to strong effects emerged in friends, self-esteem, nurturing, and developmental support, while immigration support and child well-care showed no significant change. Findings support community-based prevention and highlight policy needs for strengthening primary prevention.

Keywords

child abuse abuse/neglect/violence child neglect child welfare prevention medical diagnoses and interventions community services community practice family interventions family/families family systems and functioning

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