"Most parents living in poverty are remarkably resilient and possess strong coping skills in the face of the adversity"Parenting on a low income (page 6)
Strategies, practices, and considerations when working with low-income families
-
Learn about poverty and recognize poverty as a systemic issue that disproportionately affects marginalized and oppressed groups. This includes children and families who are Indigenous, racialized, newcomers, live with disabilities, and/or are led by female lone parents
-
Build trust and engage families in meaningful ways
-
Be empathetic and respectful towards families and have a non-judgemental attitude
-
Help parents and families foster resilience by using strengths-based approaches. For example, this could include recognizing the involvement of fathers and paternal family members beyond the traditional role of provider and financial contributor
-
Familiarize yourself with resources, supports, and services available in the community
-
Proactively provide information to families, for example, about their rights or benefits they can access
-
Advocate on behalf of families and ensure they receive the services they need
Practice guides
- Poverty among child welfare-involved families: Strategies and recommendations for practitioners [2014]Note: login required; must be a PART member to access.
- 2018 Prevention Resource GuideThis resource was developed to support service providers as they implement protective factors approaches and work with families to promote child well-being and prevent child maltreatment.
- Prevent, provide & protect: How child welfare can better support low-income families [2014]This brief, authored by Megan Martin and Alexandra Citrin of the Center for the Study of Social Policy, focuses on several critical strategies child welfare systems can use to better address the needs of low-income families.
- Child and family poverty in Ontario: A practical guide for moving from stigma to empowerment [2017]This manual is a reference for service providers working with families living in poverty who have children under age six.
- Anti-poverty practice framework for social work in Northern Ireland [2018]This practice framework seeks to bring poverty into the foreground of social work practice and help social workers recognize and respond to the impact of poverty on the people they support
Other tools and resources
- Child poverty: A practical tool for primary careThis 2-page resource for physicians includes screening questions and resources to address child poverty.
- Poverty: A clinical tool for primary care in Ontario [2013]Resource from the Ontario College of Family Physicians.
- Prevention tip sheets [2018]Collection of tip sheets designed for service providers to distribute to parents and caregivers in the context of a particular concern or question. The tip sheets cover topics such as managing finances, building secure attachment and lasting bonds, and strengthening family resilience.
- Promising practices for working with families living in poverty [2015]Quick reference guide from the Government of British Columbia.
- Shelter from the storm: Caring for families with very young children [2016]Tip sheet for working with children and families staying in emergency shelters.
- Poverty, parenting and social exclusion [2008]Free eLearning course from the Social Care Institute for Excellence focused on social work and child welfare work in the UK context. Multiple learning objects are provided in the course, including one on 'Incorporating an understanding of poverty into assessments of children and their families.'
- Supporting Children and Families Experiencing HomelessnessInteractive learning series from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Topics covered include understanding family homelessness; identifying families experiencing homelessness; and engaging families experiencing homelessness.
- Building partnerships to support stable housing for child welfare-involved families and youth [2019]This bulletin outlines affordable housing and homelessness services and how child welfare professionals can collaborate with those systems to help families
- Strong at the broken places: The resiliency of low-income parents [2017]This resource from the National Center for Children in Poverty draws on recent studies to illustrate the importance of parent resiliency in the development of social-emotional competence among low-income children
