Mission & History

The overall purpose of the Strengthening Families Illinois Initiative is to prevent child abuse and neglect and to promote the health and well-being of children and families by working with childcare centers and child welfare agency staff to incorporate evidence-based protective factors in early childhood services and systems statewide.

History in Illinois

With funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Center for the Study for Social Policy set out in 2002 to develop a strategic, feasible approach to child abuse prevention that would be systematic and national, reach large numbers of very young children, and have impact long before abuse or neglect occurred. Their research revealed that proven, positive results take place when early childhood centers build protective factors around children.

National Initiative

Strengthening Families Illinois is part of Strengthening Families Through Early Care and Education, a new, effective and affordable strategy for child abuse and neglect prevention that is being implemented by the Center for the Study of Social Policy with funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Illinois is one of seven states chosen through an RFP process to take part in the initiative. For more information, visit the Strengthening Families Through Early Care and Education web site.

In 2004, the Center for the Study for Social Policy solicited proposals from states nationwide to pilot Strengthening Families through Early Care and Education—a new, proven, cost-effective strategy to prevent child abuse and neglect based on the protective factors. Illinois was one of seven states whose proposals were selected. In 2005, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services convened more than 20 collaborative partner organizations and state agencies from the child welfare, child abuse prevention, family support and early childhood fields as well as parents and community leaders to promote the protective factors across systems and settings. Together, they created a strategic plan, which is guiding the initiative’s work statewide through June 2007.