ST. GEORGE — In an effort to highlight services available to help families thrive across Utah, the Division of Child and Family Services has collaborated with United Way programs, Utah 211 and Help Me Grow Utah, to create the new 211 Strengthening Families web page.
The online resource is coupled with the state’s Strengthening Families Toolkit as an easy guide for parents who may feel overwhelmed with the responsibility of caring for children.
“This web page provides a variety of referrals to address everything from basic needs to specialized information to support families,” said Utah 211 Managing Director Sandra Carpio. “We are excited to provide this as a resource for parents and caregivers in our community.”
The page is structured after the Protective Factors Framework, which identifies five key strengths – parental resilience, social connections, knowledge of parenting and child development, concrete supports and the social and emotional competence of children – that can help families navigate difficult situations, as well as guide community child abuse and neglect prevention efforts.
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9,062 children in Utah were found to be victims of child abuse and neglect during fiscal year 2021.
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Of the confirmed allegations involving a parent, 55% were related to a form of neglect.
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“When we truly care about the safety and well being of children, then we must equally care about the safety and well being of the adults in those children’s lives;” says Diane Moore, DCFS director. “This is why I love the focus on family strengthening in the month of April. When parents thrive in our communities and have what they need to live healthy, productive, economically stable lives — child safety is almost always concurrently achieved. We want to do more in Utah than just prevent abuse and neglect.”
Available services include family support centers, support groups, mental health or substance use disorder treatment, parent education classes, and assistance related to housing, finances and employment. Parents and families who need help are encouraged to visit the site, or call Utah 211 directly for help with locating services in their community.
“We want to back away from that line of crisis by leaning in as communities and neighbors in order to ensure that every family has the resources and support they need to be truly successful,” said Moore. “This is the Utah way. Every child and individual matters.”
Click here to access the web page. To join the Utah 211 online database, or list additional resources, community service providers can contact Utah 211 here.