Healthy Families PDF

Healthy families
Healthy family relationships and safe and supportive home

environments are central to children and young people’s
development and wellbeing.
Family diversity and support children and young people’s mental

health.
Be You uses the term ‘family’ to encompass parents,
carers, extended family members and other adults Families matter
responsible for children and young people’s care.
Childhood experiences have lasting impacts
Family members may not necessarily be biologically
related or even live with the child or young person all And the relationships children and young people
the time. Some individuals may have one or several experience directly impact their wellbeing. Those
parents or carers, including grandparents, step- provided with social, emotional and physical support
parents, same-sex parents, aunts and uncles, foster are more likely to reach their full potential and
parents or adoptive parents. experience better health outcomes in adulthood.
A family can be made up of anyone a person Families directly affect development and long-term
considers to be their family. wellbeing
For most individuals, the family environment and The home environment and family functioning are
family relationships have the biggest impact on life the biggest influencers on development, with the
outcomes. Positive family relationships can help learning environment the next most influential
children and young people flourish, but adverse setting.
experiences can negatively impact their wellbeing
Healthy family relationships help children and young
and subsequent development. people feel secure and loved. This state impacts
All families are unique. Supporting families involves their brain development and sense of self (that is, a
recognising that they come in all shapes and sizes, realistic sense of their skills and abilities, and where
with different needs and circumstances. and how they fit into the world).
Research shows the quality of family relationships is Positive relationships with family support individuals
more important than their size or composition. in building independence, responsibility, confidence
Whoever the family is made up of, they can build and trust. They provide a place where these can be
strong, positive relationships that promote wellbeing explored safely, where there’s guidance and room
for mistakes. Families also give children and young • support – offering and asking for support, with
people a model from which they learn about family members knowing they will receive help,
relationships and how to build connections encouragement and reassurance from one
throughout their lives. Children and young people another
who learn healthy relationship skills are more likely
• acceptance – understanding, respecting and
to experience positive peer relationships and grow
appreciating each family member’s unique
up to become confident and resilient individuals.
qualities
Healthy families • commitment – seeing family wellbeing as a first
priority and acting accordingly with commitment
What do these look like? and loyalty
In healthy family relationships, people trust and rely • resilience – being able to tolerate difficulties and
on each other for support, love, affection and adapt to changing situations in positive ways.
warmth. Families often share common goals and The biggest challenges in family relationships were
work together to reach those goals (for example, highlighted as communication breakdown, parenting
children and young people may help their families issues and difficult relationship dynamics.
get the dinner dishes done so that everyone can Risk factors in families
relax).
There are many reasons why some individuals are
Family members feel safe and connected to one more vulnerable than others to developing
another. Sometimes these relationships involve behavioural difficulties and mental health issues.
conflict, which is a normal part of family life. Conflict Risk factors for children and young people are things
can occur between adults, children and young that increase the likelihood of mental health issues
developing.
people. In healthy relationships, these conflicts are
dealt with in a safe and respectful way. Risk factors within the family include:
Healthy family relationships mean that positive • family conflict, instability or separation
interactions outnumber the difficult times. Adults • lack of involvement with children and young
experiencing difficult life situations can provide people, or inconsistent parenting
learning opportunities in teaching and modelling • family violence, child abuse or neglect
coping strategies – children and young people
• mental health issues or substance abuse
shouldn’t be burdened with stress, but it’s helpful for
them to see families successfully managing it with • a serious illness or disability
positive coping strategies. • financial difficulties.
The key qualities of a strong family unit identified by Protective factors in families
Australians in the Family Strengths Research Project Protective factors decrease the chance of an
were: individual experiencing mental health issues. These
• communication – listening to each other and are related to good outcomes for children and young
communicating with openness and honesty people, and serve to protect them if they’re exposed
to risk.
• togetherness – sharing similar values and beliefs
that create a sense of belonging and bonding Protective factors within the family include:
• sharing activities – spending time together doing • strong and stable family relationships – for
things they enjoy (for example, sports, reading, example, consistent, caring relationships
camping or playing games) • supportive parenting – for example, being
• affection – showing affection and care regularly available to listen to and talk with children and
through words, hugs, kisses and thoughtfulness young people
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• strong family values for example, a shared Working together with families
understanding of how to treat others
There are things families can do to actively build
• consistency in routines and limits – for example, strong and healthy family relationships.
responding the same way to children or young
people’s behaviour. When working with families, you might like to share
strategies that you have observed work well. For
How you can support families families wanting some support, you might suggest
they try the following activities at home:
Many factors within the family impact a child or
young person’s mental health and wellbeing. • Spending regular quality time together as a whole
Because these factors occur within the home, as an family and with each child or young person, even
educator, you may not always be directly aware of if it’s for a few minutes each day.
them. Acknowledging that there are multiple • Offering help and support to one another.
influences on children and young people’s wellbeing
will help you better understand and assist an • Doing fun things and laughing together.
individual who you think may be experiencing a • Talking to each other.
mental health issue. Your early learning service or
school can support children and young people’s • Telling each other what you like about your family
(for example, “Dad, I like your hugs” or “Cara, you
mental health through efforts to connect with and
asked for that very politely”).
support families.
Build partnerships with families • Having family discussions to organise family
events and to work through difficulties.
• Value family members’ knowledge of each child
or young person. • Trying to include children and young people in
decisions affecting them (for example, giving
• Value the family’s contributions to, and role in, younger children choices to help them make a
each child or young person’s life. decision).
• Communicate freely and respectfully with • Teaching and modelling problem-solving skills to
families. children and young people so they become more
• Share insights and perspectives about children or confident at resolving their own conflicts.
young people. • Getting support from family, friends or
• Engage in shared decision-making. professionals when they need help juggling
demands.
Communicate openly and build trust with families
Children and young people need the support of a
Shared information helps everyone gain a deeper nurturing, well-functioning family. The strength of
understanding of: family relationships directly impacts their
• how to best work together to support children and development and wellbeing.
young people As an educator, you’ll likely observe or hear about
• children and young people’s behaviour at home risk and protective factors in families. You are in a
and in the learning environment unique position to be able to sensitively offer
support and resources for families to better support
• the most effective ways to support learning their children and young people.
• what children and young people enjoy and what
their strengths are
• resources for addressing social and emotional
difficulties.
For more information visit

beyou.edu.au

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Healthy families

Healthy family relationships and safe and supportive home

Family diversity and support children and young people’s mental

For more information visit

For more information visit

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