Overview

This literature review and annotated bibliography of family support services in Australia and overseas shows that they are multifaceted, difficult to define and even more difficult to evaluate in terms of their effectiveness. The review concentrates primarily on community-based services, defined in the literature as family support services to families with children. It focuses on the following issues: definition, aims and objectives of family support services; trends in the development and delivery of such services in Australia and overseas; and evaluation and policy implications of family support services. (Author abstract).