In April, Wisconsin celebrates Family Strengthening Month. Green County Public Health, the Green County Abuse Prevention Team, and SSM Health are partnering with Wisconsin’s Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention Board in April to educate families about the “5 Protective Factors” that keep every family strong. The Prevention Board has worked to develop realistic examples of the protective factors that can empower families, caregivers, friends, neighbors, and community members to support strong families and build stronger communities. Research has shown that focusing on strengths can enhance family well-being and reduce the prevalence of child maltreatment. Many organizations in Green County are now educating families and other community members about how to build protective factors and support each other.
The 5 Protective Factors are 1) helping kids understand feelings, 2) parenting as children grow, 3) connecting with others, 4) building inner strength, and 5) knowing how to find help. More information about these factors, including examples and more in-depth explanations, can be found on the Five for Families website, which is a campaign created by the Wisconsin Prevention Board: fiveforfamilies.org
In Green County, Adverse Childhood Experience (ACEs), which are instances of abuse, neglect, or other traumatic events experienced in childhood, has been identified as a health priority.
While some people may cope with traumatic events without suffering long-term difficulties, others can experience a range of physical and mental health concerns. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports these traumatic events can be so distressing to a child that toxic stress can disrupt brain development and have lifelong health impacts, including diabetes, suicidality, depression, heart disease, and cancer. ACEs have the potential to turn into a generational problem in communities, and without intervention and prevention efforts, future generations will continue to be impacted by traumatic experiences and negative health outcomes. Knowing about these health impacts and generational issues, it is important to focus on the prevention of traumatic events. The CDC recommends focusing on providing stable, safe, and nurturing relationships and environments for children to address this concern. Taking actions like those listed in The 5 Protective Factors can help build resilience in children and within families when navigating these experiences.
As part of the Green County Healthy Community Coalition, the Resilient Children, Families, and Communities group was formed to address issues within Green County and help support families. The group has set out to implement a parenting support model for our community for parents and caregivers to improve their parenting techniques called Parent Cafes. This helps community members develop skills to become strong families with healthy parenting practices and build relationships with other parents. People can visit the Green County Healthy Community Coalition Facebook page for updates on upcoming events related to parenting support. Lastly, this group has also set out to amplify the available resources in Green County that can help children, families, and communities reach their full health and life potential.
There are several organizations helping families in Green County, the following list is just a few of them, you can learn more about each organization by visiting their website. Green County Public Health offers the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition program, breastfeeding support, and home visiting services through Early Head Start. The Green County Human Services Department has various services to support both children and their caregivers. Services include mental health treatment, substance recovery support, early childhood intervention, truancy diversion, family and service provider coordination services, parenting support, economic support services, and support for children with disabilities and their family. In addition to health care services, SSM Health Monroe offers classes or educational sessions on a variety of different topics. Green Haven provides advocacy and support for children and adults fleeing domestic violence. Additionally, the Sexual Assault Recovery Program offers advocacy, counseling, and resources for individuals who have experienced sexual assault. Lastly, Family Promise helps low-income families and families affected by homelessness achieve sustainable independence.
Community members can also check out the Green County Family Resource Guide, which is a comprehensive list of programs and services in Green County. This guide conveniently includes a wide range of services so that community members can find multiple resources in one spot. Everyone from new parents to older adults can utilize the Family Resource Guide.
This guide is available on the Green County Public Health website: www.gcpublichealth.org. Hard-copy versions of this guide are available at Green County Public Health.
Celebrating family strengths is an ongoing commitment you can make. As community members, we all have a role in ensuring every child grows up in a safe, nurturing, and stable environment. Families that are strong and resilient can do just that!
— This column was co-written by Bridget Zimmerman and Stephanie King. Zimmerman is the Public Health Educator for the Green County Public Health Department and can be reached at bzimmerman@greengountywi.org or 608-328-9509. King is the Green County Child Advocacy Center Coordinator with the Green County Human Services Children, Youth, and Families Unit and can be reached at sking@gchsd.org.
