In every disadvantaged community there are individuals and families who are doing unexpectedly well. These individuals and families have practices and strategies that are both positive and deviant in that they differ from those of most of their peers. This report explores how these families manage to 'thrive in adversity', in particular the protective factors for families with significant risk factors for child maltreatment, especially drug use and mental health problems. The study featured a national survey to investigate which social practices and norms help to produce positive outcomes for children in disadvantaged communities, and data analysis to identify communities in which outcomes are unexpectedly positive and 'communities of affinity' in which a significant risk factor for child maltreatment is present. This study fits under one of the research priorities of the National Research Agenda for Protecting Children 2011-2014, which is to learn more about the conditions necessary to create a child-safe and child-friendly community.