Aim
The purpose of the research is to explain and elaborate on the concept of family support, with emphasis on its conceptual, theoretical, research, and resource issues.
Methods
This research is based on analysis of laws, policy documents, and financial data in the United States.
Results
The research indicates that the difficulties in securing state or national family support policy derive from three sources: the lack of a consensus definition of family support, the failure to justify it theoretically as a contributor to family quality of life, and the lack of agreement about how to determine whether it is effective in contributing to family quality of life.
Conclusions
The research community, in alliance with the practice and advocacy communities, must first reach a consensus about the conceptual, theoretical, research, and resource issues before they reasonably can expect state and national governments to support families any more powerfully than they do no; and the international research, practice, and advocacy communities can contribute to the U.S.’s efforts by offering their knowledge about those issues.