Couple relationships provide the basis for family formation. Within families, good parental relationships are often key to family wellbeing. What makes for sound relationships and what can help couples to develop and strengthen their relationships?

This report identifies factors that contribute to both positive and negative couple relationships and outlines the range of services available for couples at different stages of relationship development. It describes a wide variety of approaches to couples support and therapy, including services designed to help couples in difficulty, for example, due to sexual problems, domestic violence or other problems. Finally, it weighs up what is known about the effectiveness of available services and makes recommendations about a number of strategies that might help increase the reach of services for couples.