Family and health: two core values, two institutions in constant interaction. How can we address them together without subordinating one to the other—without turning the family into an auxiliary of healthcare professionals? Combining a range of theoretical perspectives with the diverse concerns surrounding social interventions with vulnerable populations, this collective work addresses a wide variety of situations: birth, disability, palliative care, risk education, pain management, searching for information online... The contributions are organized into three parts. The first is devoted to the political division of care work between families and professionals. The second focuses on crisis situations that lead families to provide sustained medical care. The third part addresses the formation of family bonds during health-related events: for while the family provides care and promotes health, health and illness events create, reaffirm, or strain family bonds. [publisher’s summary]. Audrey Sitbon contributed to the section titled “Relationships with the terminally ill: putting the perspectives of families and professionals into perspective.”