Concrete Supports for Parents

Chapter 2: Concrete Supports for Parents

Many factors affect a family's ability to care for their children. Families who can meet their own basic needs for food, clothing, housing, and transportation—and who know how to access essential services such as childcare, health care, and mental health services to address family-specific needs—are better able to ensure the safety and well-being of their children.

Partnering with parents to identify and access resources in the community may help prevent the stress that sometimes precipitates child maltreatment. Providing concrete supports may also help prevent the unintended neglect that sometimes occurs when parents are unable to provide for their children.

Community Services Locator: An Online Directory for Finding Community Services for Children and Families
Maternal and Child Health Library
Helps service providers and families find available national, State, and local resources that can address child and family needs in areas such as education, health, mental health, family support, parenting, child care, and financial support.

Economic Deprivation and Child Well-Being: A State-by-State Analysis
Ozawa, Joo, & Kim
Children and Youth Services Review, 26(8), 2004
View Abstract
Demonstrates a significant relationship between the economic deprivation of children in a State and the low level of child well-being in that State.

Economic Stress and Families
In Families and Change: Coping With Stressful Events and Transitions
Bartholomae & Fox (2005, 3rd ed.)
View Abstract
Describes the risk and protective factors that contribute to economic stress, using the family stress model. Reliance on educational strengths, social resources, family cohesion, and self-esteem can mediate the negative effects of economic problems.

Family Economic Success
Annie E. Casey Foundation
Describes a comprehensive approach to address the difficulties low-income working families face in trying to move up the economic ladder. The website offers information on a wide range of topics of interest to practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and the general public.

How to Develop a Statewide System to Link Families With Community Resources: A Manual Based on Help Me Grow
Dworkin, Bogin, Carey, & Honigfeld (2006)
Offers guidance for exploring, creating, and enhancing a single-point-of-access system to connect the families of children at risk for developmental or behavioral problems with community resources.

Making Connections
Annie E. Casey Foundation
This initiative operates on the premise that families do better when they live in communities that help them to succeed. Information on theory, sites, results, and reading materials are provided.

Partnerships for Families: Stories and Lessons From Los Angeles Communities (PDF - 2970 KB)
First 5 LA (2010)
Describes the Partnerships for Families concept and model and its success in building a comprehensive network of community services and supports for families. The report includes information on developing and maintaining collaboratives, achieving and sustaining improvements among at-risk families, and recommendations for communities, systems, and funders.

Recognizing and Addressing Economic Hardship
Beverly & Young (2002)
View Abstract
This training module provides information and tools for working with poor families in the child welfare system. Workers are urged to show empathy, address immediate material and psychological needs, and connect parents to services that will improve their employment prospects and increase their wages. A list of the positive outcomes of addressing economic hardship for families and workers is provided.