This PhD is examining the effectiveness of Home-Start support in improving parental feelings of competence among families facing different levels of adversity. Home-Start is a voluntary organisation which provides needs-based volunteer support to families with children five years old and under. Home-Start works according to a theory of change which suggests that social support can lead to improvements in the well-being of parents resulting in increased feelings of parental competence. This leads to more adaptive parental behaviour and improvements in child behaviour. This quantitative study is using Home-Start UK’s administrative data to investigating the nature and extent of adverse risk factors and adverse life events among families receiving Home-Start support. The effects adversity on both the way support is delivered and its effectiveness at improving parental feelings of competence are being examined.