<p>Family centres are established to serve families with children and the personnel usually consists of units of social-workers, preschool staff, paediatric nurses and midwives. The purpose of the study was to examine the social-workers preventive work with families at the family centre. To fulfil the purpose, a qualitative interview with five social-workers was conducted. The theoretical framework referred to attachment and empowerment theory. The results of the study showed that the main part of the work consists of giving advice and support to parents. The social-workers do also organize different group activities. One example of group-work was about teaching parents to interplay with their children. Some work is also carried through in a structural level. The target groups are very varying, and consist of parents with different income, origin and social networks. Furthermore the study showed that the social-workers apprehend that most of their visitors are satisfied with their work. The important possibility united with the social work in a family centre is to meet the families in the beginning of parenthood, and to offer help early. The difficulties consist among other things to collaborate with the paediatric nurses and midwives, and also to claim the importance of their work towards employers and politicians.</p>

Family centres are established to serve families with children and the personnel usually consists of units of social-workers, preschool staff, paediatric nurses and midwives. The purpose of the study was to examine the social-workers preventive work with families at the family centre. To fulfil the purpose, a qualitative interview with five social-workers was conducted. The theoretical framework referred to attachment and empowerment theory. The results of the study showed that the main part of the work consists of giving advice and support to parents. The social-workers do also organize different group activities. One example of group-work was about teaching parents to interplay with their children. Some work is also carried through in a structural level. The target groups are very varying, and consist of parents with different income, origin and social networks. Furthermore the study showed that the social-workers apprehend that most of their visitors are satisfied with their work. The important possibility united with the social work in a family centre is to meet the families in the beginning of parenthood, and to offer help early. The difficulties consist among other things to collaborate with the paediatric nurses and midwives, and also to claim the importance of their work towards employers and politicians.