Strategic Plan

To download the complete Strengthening Families Illinois strategic plan, click here.

Strategic Plan Summary
The mission of Strengthening Families Illinois is to—

• Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect
• Promote the health and well-being of children and families
• Build strong relationships between childcare centers and child welfare agency staff
• Incorporate 6 evidence-based protective factors

In order to accomplish this mission, Strengthening Families Illinois partners are working together to promote 6 protective factors across state systems. Progress toward that mission is measured according to five strategic goals:

Quality Practice

Goal 1: Assist more than 60 childcare centers statewide to concentrate their efforts to identify existing programmatic components that build protective factors and that enhance these supports.

6 learning networks across the state will take part in a self-study and create a program development plan.   Throughout the project they will have monthly peer to peer support and multiple training opportunities on a variety of topics.  

Promote Resiliency and Increase the Awareness on Impact of Trauma

Goal 2: Integrate promising practices and systems infrastructure supports that build resiliency in children and adults and promote healthy social and emotional development in more than 60 childcare centers across the state.

Learning networks will become more aware of the impact of trauma on children’s development, develop additional strategies for promoting children’s social and emotional well-being, improve their access to mental health consultation, and learn how to recognize mental health issues in children and adults and to make effective referrals.  

Unified Strategy

Goal 3: Build awareness of Strengthening Families initiative among 80% of licensed childcare centers, 60% of child welfare agency front-line staff, and among a broad audience statewide through partner agencies.

In order to reduce child abuse and neglect, all agencies, organizations, and staff will work from one well-researched set of protective factors as a unified way of keeping families strong and children safe. The initiative will do this by disseminating tools and key messages through training, technical assistance, and other activities as well as print and on-line materials.

Child Welfare Systems Change

Goal 4: In pilot communities, child welfare agency staff collaborate with childcare centers in Strengthening Families Illinois learning networks to promote the health, well-being and resiliency of all young children who have needs similar to wards.

Collaborate with DCFS on the development and implementation of innovative child welfare practices statewide including recognition of the role of early childhood centers as a conduit to families. Developing stronger relationships between child welfare and early childhood centers will help prevent incidences of child abuse and neglect. in addition to preventing additional disruptions within families that have already experienced incidences of abuse and neglect.  Provide stability and nurturing care for children who have experienced disruption.

Cross-System Collaboration/Stronger Infrastructure

Goal 5: Strengthening Families ideas and practices are infused into state-level decision making on early childhood as well as programmatic activities of partner organizations.

Strengthening Families Illinois will bring partners at all levels of decision-making together to ensure that the protective factors provide the basis for keeping children safe and families strong in all systems that have contact with young children and families.