Family Support through Primary Prevention

Project Abstract

The Colorado Department of Human Services was awarded a five-year Family Support through Primary Prevention (FSPP) grant from the Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. CDHS submitted this grant on behalf of the Colorado Partnership for Thriving Families, a cross-system collaborative dedicated to creating the conditions where children and families thrive. The FSPP project is intended to reduce child maltreatment and improve family well-being for Colorado families ages prenatal to 5, with a focus on the first year of life. Five demonstration counties, state leaders, communities, and families are partnering to lift, learn, and grow targeted primary prevention strategies: (1) Boulder, Denver, and Jefferson Counties will stand up Family Connects, a universal home visitation program connecting postpartum families to needed supports; (2) Adams and Prowers Counties will leverage Family Resource Centers to create a “no wrong door” referral system and build family protective factors; and (3) Statewide, activities will be promoted that positively change social norms related to support-seeking and support-offering behavior. Underlying these strategies is a focus on cross-system alignment and community-engaged collaboration for family strengthening.

The Colorado Lab serves as the skilled evaluator, working with family, community, county, and state partners to rigorously build evidence for FSPP strategies and promote the collective impact framework of the Colorado Partnership for Thriving Families.