Promoting child development, well-being and safety relies upon the ability to ‘think child, think family and think community ’. Our knowledge about how biological, psychological and social factors interact to influence the development and well-being of children has never been greater. In a growing number of countries, this knowledge has led to intense interest in early childhood, motivated both by social justice concerns as well as an increasing awareness that the economic future of a society depends on the degree to which its children are healthy, educated and well-adjusted. Some children are exposed to a volatile mix of poverty, violence, parental mental illness and substance dependence that can erode the capacity of families to nurture their children, causing intense suffering and long-term harm.There are a number of conceptual frameworks and ideas that enable us to understand this, including an ecological model of human development. Family-centred practice is based on four elements: the centrality of the family as the unit of attention; maximising families’ choices; a strengths rather than a deficits perspective; and cultural sensitivity. The quality of the worker–family relationship is the cornerstone of family-centred practice.The key practitioner qualities of empathy, respect, genuineness and optimism are vital to working with vulnerable families. We each bring a unique combination of personal qualities and values,knowledge and skills to our work. It is important for us to identify our strengths as well as the areas in which further professional development or the expertise of others may be required if we are to serve families and their children well