Family Strengths Framework

There are many types of families in today’s society and each of these families have different values and things that they do well and not so well together. In the identification of these strengths the family strengths framework may be used to assess these and provide goals of what the family could work on to improve their ability to cope with crisis and stressful situations. This assignment will inform the reader about what a family is in contemporary society and the family strengths framework and analyse the framework in relation to health care practice.

In olden day society the definition of family was seen as being a patriarchal traditional family structure where a husband lived with his wife and they raised their biological children together

91-110) to recognise how they cope in stressful situations (Asay & DeFrain 2012). This framework consists of eight component which each contain question that may be asked to assess how each is met. The components of the framework include communication, togetherness, sharing activities, affection, support, acceptance, commitment and resilience (Smith & Ford 2013, pp. 91-110). The family strengths framework is considered to be a constructive approach to health care as Smith and Ford (2013, pp. 91-110) state that family strengths are imperative to improve the outcomes of situations of crisis. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) (2012) have identified that strong families are able to deal with situations of crisis more effectively. The family strengths framework also encourages positive communication between family members, which has been identified as being essential for family harmony during stressful situations (McMurray & Clendon 2014, pp. 166-178) and can also be shared with the healthcare professionals during this time (Smith & Ford 2013, pp.

48-49). Many studies in past years have continued to promote the family strengths framework as being very effective and is able to be used with all cultures (Sittner, Hudson & DeFrain 2007). This framework can be effectively used when identifying what the strengths of the family are, assisting the family to develop strengths in which they think will assist them during times of crisis and using the strengths to encourage goal achievement (Sittner, Hudson & DeFrain 2007). Smith and Ford (2013, pp. 91-110) mention that the family strengths framework may also be used as a conversation starter for families that are seeking support. In addition to communication, resilience is another important strength during crisis. Resilience may be addressed by assisting the family to identify strengths that they may not have been aware they had (Valdez, Abegglen & Hauser 2013). Assisting families to expand their strengths and increasing their resilience during situations of stress and crisis is important in enabling good outcomes post crisis (Smith, Webber & DeFrain 2013). Overall, the family strengths framework is very useful in identifying the strengths within a family (Valdez, Abegglen & Hauser 2013) to enable the