Book excerpt: The work of professionals with children with disabilities affects the children's family, while events at home affect what professionals can achieve with the children. This text describes how professionals can form collaborative relationships with the parents of the children in their care, to optimise the children's development and to enable both family members and professionals to work in the children's interests. It describes experiences of families who have a child with a disability and takes a new look at old assumptions that disability necessarily has a negative effect on families or that families themselves are in need of therapy simply by virtue of having a child with additional needs. This text offers practical insights and guidelines for action by teachers, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech pathologists and psychologists. It is a practical text that enables practitioners to offer a high-quality service to children while supporting the family in its role of nurturing their child with special needs.