Two-generation (2Gen) approaches supporting children and their caregivers simultaneously to build protective factors, resiliency, and parental capacity to enhance child and family well-being and prevent child abuse and neglect. Also called "whole family" or "intergenerational" approaches, these strategies address the interconnected needs of parents and children.
2Gen approaches seek to address and interrupt cycles of poverty by creating the foundations for positive educational, economic, and other outcomes that can pass from one generation to the next. These strategies build financial stability in families while acknowledging the overlap between poverty and child welfare system involvement. Poverty and neglect are not the same, and most families experiencing poverty do not abuse or neglect their children. However, families experiencing poverty are overrepresented in the population of people reported to child protective services.
Historical trauma and structural and systemic racism contribute to Black and American Indian/Alaska Native families disproportionally experiencing intergenerational poverty and child welfare system involvement. Disparities in treatment have created a mistrust of public systems in many communities. 2Gen approaches can help rebuild that trust and promote equity by valuing and acknowledging the families' expertise and recognizing their strengths and resilience.
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