Parenting is hard.

When it comes to increasing positive outcomes for families, research shows that the following five strengths play a major role in engaging parents and building the best outcomes for children.

Jade Elliott spoke with Trisha Reynolds, Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention Services Administrator, Division of Child and Family Services, about what parents can do.

Parental Resilience: Resilience is the ability to bounce back in difficult times. It means having good coping skills and self-care strategies.

Social Connection: Parents who have more support are more responsive to their kids, have better overall moods, and experience less depression, anxiety and anger.

Knowledge of Parenting & Child Development: There is always room to improve our knowledge and parenting skills. No parent knows everything about parenting children.

Social & Emotional Competence of Children: Children’s social skills and emotional skills are just as important as academic skills.

Concrete Supports: Services that can assist with things like housing, child care, and medical care will help your family function well, especially in difficult times like we are facing right now. Knowing where to find help and taking the step to ask for it will make you and your family stronger.

Links to websites or resources:

Free Community Resources Available for Pregnant Women and Families with Children Ages 0-11 (All services below are provided at no cost to families)

Utah Association of Family Support Centers: Family Support Centers strengthen Utah families by supporting parents, protecting children, and preserving families. Seventeen locations across Utah provide 24-hour crisis and respite nursery, information and referral services, and parenting and youth education programs. https://utahfamilies.org/

 The Office of Home Visiting: The Office of Home Visiting works with local agencies to provide home visits to pregnant women and young families who would like to know more about being parents. Home Visitors are well-trained and can provide information about breastfeeding, toilet training, nutrition, home safety, child development and much more. https://homevisiting.utah.gov/home

Help Me Grow Utah: Help Me Grow Utah is an information and referral helpline that helps parents, physicians and providers find ways to help children grow and develop. Get help tracking your child’s development for every stage of growth from pregnancy and to age eight. https://www.helpmegrowutah.org/, (801) 691-5322

Prevent Child Abuse Utah: Prevent Child Abuse Utah provides home visiting in Weber, Davis, and Box Elder counties. Parent Educators provide support, education, and fun, connective activities for families with young children. Our statewide education team offers diverse trainings on Protective Factors, Digital Safety, Bullying, and Child Sex Trafficking. We are available for in-person or virtual trainings and offer free online courses for the community at pcautah.org.

Protective Factors Tip Sheets from the Child Welfare Information Gateway (English & Spanish): Everything from bonding with your baby to ideas on how to develop supportive communities.

The Baby Your Baby program provides many resources for all pregnant women and new moms in Utah. There is also expert advice from the Utah Department of Health and Intermountain Healthcare that air each week on KUTV 2News.