Many families and children face increased uncertainty and insecurity as a result of radical economic and social changes. The impacts are particularly experienced in the nature of work and family life and have implications for the emotional attachments and the experience of trust of all family members, especially children. In this opinion piece the authors argue that, as the Western world undergoes a period of profound economic and social change, insufficient attention is being paid to how that change, and the consequential risks and uncertainties that are generated, could be managed by governments to strengthen and protect families. They maintain that the material insecurities associated with change are likely to undermine the strength of relationships, so important to family stability and to children's development. They also state that the way family and children's services are funded and delivered means that these problems of uncertainty and relationship instability are compounded. The authors further argue that governments have a clear responsibility to address the distribution of risk and take appropriate action to enhance rather than diminish opportunities for secure and trusting relationships.