Home > About > Protective Factors and Adverse Childhood Experiences
Knowledge and understanding of protective factors and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can inform efforts to reduce the risk of maltreatment and prevent recurrence of abuse or neglect by drawing on family strengths and acknowledging the impact of traumatic events.
Protective factors are conditions or attributes that, when present in families and communities, increase the well-being of children and families and reduce the likelihood of maltreatment. Identifying protective factors helps parents find resources, supports, or coping strategies that allow them to parent effectively—even under stress. There are 6 protective factors:
For more information about protective factors, see Protective Factors to Promote Well-Being.
ACEs are potentially traumatic events that occur before a child reaches the age of 18.
ACEs include:
A landmark study in the 1990s found a significant relationship between the number of ACEs a person experienced and a variety of negative outcomes in adulthood, including poor physical and mental health, substance use, and risky behaviors1. The more ACEs experienced, the greater the risk for these outcomes. By definition, children involved with the child welfare system have suffered at least one ACE. Understanding the impact of ACEs and how to build resilience in children and families can lead to more trauma-informed interventions that help to mitigate negative outcomes.
For more information and resources about ACEs, see Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).
A social-ecological model acknowledges the many different levels of factors that influence caregivers’ ability to nurture and protect their children. These levels include society (e.g., Federal and State policies and societal norms about parenting), system (e.g., collaborations within a community or jurisdiction to support families), organization (e.g., programs and policies of a single agency), community (representing the voices of community members and leaders with lived experience), and the family itself.
The overlapping rings in the model show how factors at one level influence those at other levels. To prevent maltreatment, it is often necessary to act at multiple levels of the model at the same time. Place your pre-order for the 2023/2024 Prevention Resource Guide. Each chapter within the guide offers a wealth of information, resources, and examples from Federal partners, Children’s Bureau grant recipients, and other communities and organizations—publicly and privately funded—that have employed efforts to effect real change for children and families.
1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). About the CDC-Kaiser ACE study: Major findings. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/about.html (Back)
Protective Factors Conversation Guides
Find out how parents can strengthen their protective factors.
The Children's Bureau, within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, funds the National Child Abuse Prevention Month initiative each April on the Child Welfare Information Gateway.
