Help Protective factors
What are protective factors?
Protective factors are best thought of as the positive resources, relationships and experiences that surround and support a child. They are important in the lives of all young people as they help them to develop in all sorts of ways, including developing things like strong self-esteem and self-belief.
For young people who are experiencing (or have experienced) very difficult times, also described as adverse childhood experiences, protective factors are particularly important. New research evidence suggests that being surrounded by these kinds of resources, relationships and experiences has a protective effect: that is they can buffer children against the impact of adverse experiences. They strengthen and support the child’s capacity to cope with adversity. Protective factors help to explain why different people can have different outcomes despite having similar adverse experiences
Protective factors are powerful because they create hope and opportunity. They are encouraging because sometimes we can’t take away the adversity but there is something we can do: we can add in protective factors. This is something that everyone can play a part in, anyone in the child’s life can have a role in boosting the availability of protective factors, of positive experiences, in the child’s life. And often, protective factors can be amplified at no or low cost.
Protective factors are different to resilience, but they are related to this idea. People often think of resilience like it is something that is within a child, almost like something you could measure (“She is incredibly resilient”). Sometimes it is spoken of as inevitable (“children are so resilient, aren’t they”) or as something lacking in a child (“He’s not a very resilient boy”) or as something they could try harder to be better at (“You need to be more resilient”). We can see protective factors as what help nurture resilience: by surrounding a child with positive resources, relationships and experiences, a child is likely to be able to develop internal qualities and strengths that help them to respond in a more resilient way. If very few protective factors are present, some children may still show some resilience due to their own innate qualities (like physical strength or thinking strength) but this will always be more limited.
Without knowing anything about protective factors, many adults in a child’s life will already be providing them with resources, relationships and experiences that are positive and protective. By knowing a bit more about what these are and how they can help buffer and support a child, adults can find ways to amplify the protective factors available to a child and will recognise their important role in these protective processes.
Also referred to in research as positive experiences of childhood, compensatory experiences in childhood and even benevolent childhood experiences, there is no definitive or exhaustive list of protective factors, but here are some ideas to get you thinking:
Protective Factors: an incomplete list
Family/Home life:
- Loving, attuned and supportive primary caregiver/s
- Stable home life with predictable routines
- Good housing
- Basic needs being met
- Positive parenting with developmentally attuned expectations
- Extended family or household support
- Able to talk openly with family about feelings and problems
- Financial security
Community and Environment
- Safe and positive school environment
- Living in a safe, stable neighbourhood
- Access to green spaces and play spaces
- Opportunities for sports, activities, creativity and hobbies
- Connection to at least one safe, stable, supportive adult outside the family
- Opportunities to make a contribution to others
- Community cohesion
- Sense of belonging within a community
- Access to supportive services
- Economic opportunities
Relational and Social
- At least one strong friendship
- Connection to others
- Feeling part of a group
- Supportive peer relationships
- Positive cultural or faith identity
- Shared sense of purpose
- Being part of something bigger than yourself
- Emotion coaching and modelling
Enjoyment and Aspiration
- Sense of purpose
- Opportunities to learn and develop new skills
- Experiences of playfulness, joy, vitality and delight
- Opportunities for success and praise
- Help with problem solving
- Opportunities for valued social roles
- Physical and creative expression
- Availability of positive role models
Trauma Informed Communities: In 2022, Leeds Health and Care Partnership worked with Volition, Forum Central and Leeds Community Foundation to create the Trauma Informed Work in Communities Grant Programme to connect with communities, and work in partnership with stakeholders to learn from those with lived experience and build on existing assets within the community.
The programme recognises the transformative power that’s held within communities in building protective factors for children, young people and families who have experienced, or are at risk of experiencing, adversity. The focus of the funding was on Community Organisations working with children, young people and families to promote strong, healthy relationships and teach relationship and pro-social skills and to take a positive, asset-based, preventative approach. The organisations funded were not required to have a prior understanding of trauma or trauma-informed practice; yet, they recognised their organisation values align with the trauma-informed approaches of: awareness, sensitivity, compassion and empathy.
To find out more about Trauma Informed Communities and the community organisations funded, visit this website or read the below resources.