The two-generation (2Gen) approach (also referred to as the whole-family approach) to child abuse and neglect prevention focuses on working with children and their parents (or other caregivers) simultaneously to build protective factors, resiliency, and parental capacity. This approach addresses the interconnectedness of the needs of parents and children and addresses them together. Additionally, the 2Gen approach seeks to interrupt the cycle of poverty and create educational and economic success that can pass from one generation to another. Use these resources to learn more about the 2Gen approach in child abuse and neglect prevention.
Building Stronger Families and Communities With a Two-Gen Approach
National Human Services Assembly
Shares two reports about 2Gen approaches to working with families as well as additional resources.
Defining a Two-Generation Logic Model
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (2022)
Shares a two-generation logic model that can help practitioners who provide two-generation services to develop their own logic model. The brief includes a blank template designed to help practitioners identify the core components of their own initiative.
An Evaluation of Family Economic Success – Early Childhood Education: Findings From a Two-Generation Approach (PDF - 1,557 KB)
James Bell Associates (2018)
Summarizes the results of an evaluation of 2Gen services provided to families from 2013 to 2016 to examine who was served, what types of needs were addressed, how 2Gen services were delivered, and more.
Head Start Connects: Individualizing and Connecting Families to Comprehensive Family Support Services
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
Explains how Head Start offers comprehensive services that support parents and their children by combining early education with health, nutrition, mental health, and other services to help families reach self-sufficiency.
How Does High-Quality Early Care and Education Improve Safety, Permanency, and Well-Being?
Casey Family Programs (2019)
Describes how early child education programs, including Head Start, use 2Gen approaches to address poverty and improve child well-being by providing services and supports for parents and children.
How Early Head Start Prevents Child Maltreatment
Child Trends (2018)
Presents the results of a study that shows children who participated in Head Start were less likely to become involved with the child welfare system.
How Professionals Can Implement a Two-Generation Approach
Briggs (2021)
Psychology Today
Describes how using a 2Gen approach when addressing adverse childhood experiences and trauma reduces adversity in the family and improves the ability of caregivers to break the intergenerational cycle of maltreatment.
Our Two-Generation Impact: Advancing Equitable Family Well-Being, Mental Health, and Education Outcomes (PDF - 4,710 KB)
Friends of the Children
Discusses the 2Gen approach, including how it can help connect families to concrete supports, such as housing, education, and employment pathways.
States Leading the Way: Practical Solutions That Lift Up Children and Families
White, Mosle, & Simms (2018)
Aspen Institute
Presents case studies from seven States that have instituted 2Gen frameworks in their community programs to engage families and help keep parents invested in their children’s lives. The examples include programs from Colorado, Utah, Georgia, Maryland, Connecticut, Tennessee, and Minnesota.
Two-Generation Strategies
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families
Presents information on 2Gen approaches and shares resources about strategies for implementing a 2Gen approach in child welfare, early childhood development, and other human services agencies.
What Is 2Gen?
Cornell Project 2Gen
Explains the 2Gen approach and its emphasis on holistic ways of working with families. This webpage describes how this approach supports parents and children together to produce greater benefits and considers how factors, such as the educational and employment systems or the social environment, can enhance family well-being.