Alaska Office of Children’s Services – 2016
This toolkit is designed to assist primary care providers in Alaska. It begins with guidance for pediatricians and other health care providers on child abuse prevention and intervention, and information on the Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework. Information is provided on the Adverse Childhood Experiences of Alaskan children, factors that can lead to toxic stress, and key components of the Strengthening Families approach. It notes the Strengthening Families approach is grounded in seven foundational ideas: the two generation approach, a consideration of culture, the strengths-base perspective, the biology of stress, resilience theory, a focus on well-being, and the nature of risk and protective factors. Strategies and everyday actions that help build protective factors are listed, as well as the building blocks of resilience and strategies for building positive social support for parents. Following sections discuss the need for parents to understand the unique aspects of child development and appropriate best parenting, the need to help parents connect with the resourced they need to build a healthy environment for their children, the importance of including social and emotional development in anticipatory guidance discussions, and everyday actions for implementing a Strengthening Families approach. A brief on parental resilience is then provided, as well as briefs on protective and promotive factors for building social connections, knowledge of parenting and child development, concrete support in times of need, social-emotional competence of children, Center for the Study of Social Policy’s protective and promotive factors, promoting children’s health and resiliency using a Strengthening Families approach in pediatric health services, strategies for using positive discipline, strategies for parental self-care, and strategies for understanding a child’s temperament.