IntroductionFamilies today are significantly different from what they were more than 20 years ago. The tradition of mothers staying at home and raising children while fathers financially support the family is not only a thing of the past, but could almost be considered abnormal in today's world. The family unit has become something that is difficult to put into a certain category due to its ever-changing faces and ever-changing social norms. Adults are becoming parents later in life, with working mothers, stay-at-home fathers, same-sex couples, older family members living with relatives, and older children staying at home more long are some examples of how today's families differ from the "traditional family". » Congress in (Coady & Congress (2008) refers to the idea that families also go through certain stages of development during their lives, similar to the theory of individual development. In this theory, there are 6 stages which range from the young single adult, to the adolescent or young adult when they first leave the family home to join the family later in life, when the parents reach retirement age. Understanding the differences. stages that a family goes through at different times in their lives will allow the social worker to be able to provide the most appropriate support for the family at that time. The support given to a family with young children would be very. different from supporting a family with adolescents Even if the family as a unit goes through the stages together, it is important for a family When planning support, the social worker must remember that even if the family. is at a specific stage, each family member may be at very different individual stages (Congress of (Coady and Lehmann, 2008). For example, there may be two parents of the same age. at two different stages individually and their needs may therefore be very different, even if they are at a certain stage of development as a family. It is important to consider where the family is in the developmental stages when developing a care plan for the family, so that the social worker understands what is happening within the family at that time and that its needs can be adapted appropriately.