Supporting and Strengthening Family Functioning

Abstract

The thesis of this article is that family resource programs which employ prevention models fail to recognize that the prevention of poor outcomes cannot be equated with the strengthening of family functioning. Evidence from divergent but conceptually coherent lines of research is presented which indicates that the absence of problems does not necessarily mean the presence of positive functioning. The use of promotion models which are more consistent with the aims and principles of family resource programs is advanced as a way of bridging the gap between intervention models, family support principles, and family resource program practices.