Background: One of the main public health goals is safe and good childhood conditions for all children. It is therefore important to pay attention to the circumstances children live under since it may affect health even in adult life. Some parents have difficulties meeting the needs of their child, and child healthcare therefore has an important task in identifying risk factors in order to provide the support that each family needs.

Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the child healthcare nurses´ experiences of providing support to families when the parents' life situation poses a health risk to the child.

Method: Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the data was analyzed using a qualitative content analysis.

Results: The results showed that the child healthcare nurses identified support needs in different ways. The child healthcare nurses worked with strategies building a trustworthy relationship, being available and guiding parents through encouragement and confirmation. In order to provide support, the child health care nurses also needed support themselves.

Conclusion: The child healthcare nurses are important to identify support needs in families and for providing individually customized support to different families. By cooperation with other professions with focus on building good relationships with the families and providing safety and trust, the families are enabled to receive the support. This is a necessary work in order being able to promote good health for all children.