Families of children with handicapping conditions face both acute and chronic stressors that require continual adjustment. A supportive environment has been found to reduce the impact of stressors. Since the family's social network may be supportive or nonsupportive, an assessment of the family's social support is useful for planning nursing interventions.An analysis of the properties of social networks is included in order to enable a better understanding of the conditions under which support is provided as well as the negative effects of network ties. The Personal Resource Questionnaire and the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire are discussed as research instruments that provide indicants of network properties. Guidelines for obtaining a comprehensive assessment of the family's support are included.