ABSTRACT
Just as the family is a support system for individuals, social networks are support systems for families and individual members. This view stresses the importance of kin, friends and neighbours in the informal exchanges of human services which form so much of family life. These exchanges centre on personal involvements in offering help, advice, affection, and responsiveness to norms and values. It is distinguished from the supports given by more formal specialists and organisations based on cash payments or statutory obligations-e.g. doctors, counsellors, schools and governmental agencies.
