A new, effective and affordable strategy
for child abuse and neglect prevention

What is Strengthening Families Alaska?

Strengthening Families is a new, proven, cost-effective strategy to prevent child abuse and neglect. The strategy involves early childhood centers working to build protective factors around children by supporting family strengths and resiliency. In 2005, Alaska was one of seven states to be selected by the Center for the Study of Social Policy to pilot this approach.  The Alaska Strengthening Families Leadership Team is now working to expand the use of this model across the state.

What is special about this approach?

With funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Center for the Study for Social Policy (CSSP) set out to develop a strategic, feasible approach to child abuse prevention that would be systematic and national, reach large numbers of very young children, and have impact long before abuse or neglect occurred. Their research revealed that proven, positive results take place when early childhood centers work to strengthen five protective factors known to be correlated with child abuse and neglect. 

The Center for the Study of Social Policy also identified key strategies used by exemplary early care and education programs to build protective factors.

Early Childhood Program Strategies

Exemplary ECE Programs Used Strategies To:

• Facilitate parental friendships and mutual support
• Strengthen parenting
• Respond to family crises
• Link families to services and opportunities
• Facilitate children’s social/emotional  development
• Observe and respond to early warning signs of child abuse or neglect

Additionally Strategies Were Used To:

• Build a respectful staff culture
• Support parents as leaders
• Customize the physical space
• Form relationships with child welfare personnel
• Engage me