Family Strengths 
There are many different types of families, none are perfect but most provide supportive relationships in which family members look after each other. A recent Australian study looked at what makes families feel strong and it found that families who felt ‘strong’ shared eight qualities:
- Communication: family members interact often and mostly with honesty and openness.
- Togetherness: an invisible ‘glue’ bonds the family and gives a sense of belonging. This can include a shared sense of values, beliefs and morals.
- Shared activities: members do things together such as reading, playing sport or games.
- Acceptance: while sharing some things, the family also respects, values and understands individuality and uniqueness.
- Affection: family members show interest in each other and express love and concern, often using small rituals and gestures such as greetings, farewells or bedtime story reading.
- Support: members help, encourage, reassure and look out for each other. Family members are equally at ease asking for help or lending support.
- Commitment: family wellbeing is a priority for all; individuals are loyal and dedicated to the family as a whole.
- Resilience: the family can survive adversity and bounce back1.
These qualities can apply to any family - couples without children, stepfamilies, sole-parent or two-parent families with children.
Another review found that strong sole-parent families usually had:
- support from extended family and friends, and
Tips for stronger families:
 Spend time together
sharing activities
and having fun.
Establish routines that
support spending time
together such as eating
meals as a family.
Encourage good
communication between
family members, listen to
each other and respect
differences.
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- a positive co-parenting arrangement2
Help available
Strong, healthy family relationships need to be nurtured. Sometimes it is easy but even families that are usually strong can have patches of difficulty or conflict. Life is messy, the needs of each family member can be very different and change over time which can strain relationships.
If you would like to strengthen your family relationships or support your family through a difficult time, it can help to get some information and advice:
- Family Relationship Centres are a good place to find information and resources such as books and DVDs.
- There are also links to useful information on the FRSA Resource Directory.
- You can also get confidential advice and relationship training or coaching through a family relationship service. Use the FRSA Services Directory to find a service in your area or call the Family Relationships Advice Line on 1800 050 321 (8am - 8pm Mon - Fri, 10 am - 4pm Sat).
Useful Links
- Family Relationships Online has information about family relationship issues, ranging from building better relationships to dispute resolution.
- Mensline Australia has a range of tip sheets and information to strengthen families.
- Parenting advice lines operate in all States and Territories to provide telephone advice and counselling for parents.
- Raising Children is a Commonwealth Government funded website that provides comprehensive, practical, expert child health and parenting information and activities covering children aged 0-8 years.
- Kids Health - Family Relationships developed by the Children, Youth and Women's Health Service in South Australia. This site is designed for helping children to understand family relationships and how to make them better.
- Reachout is an excellent website for young people with fact sheets on friendships and family relationships, covering topics such as effective communication and conflict resolution.
1 Silberberg S (2001) Searching for Family Resilience.2 Robinson E & Parker R (2008) Prevention and early intervention in strengthening families and relationships: Challenges and implications, Australian Family Relationships Clearinghouse, Issues Paper No. 2.
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