The way in which support to parenthood developed in the 1990s appears rather unsuitable in the cases of those living most precariously. The writer illustrates this difficulty drawing on his analysis of single-parent families, of which today a third live in poverty. For them precarity is not just economic, but also social (withdrawal), relational and psychological (depressive episodes). It supposes a multidimensional response, linking - on the basis of training for those participating - personalized listening helping the mother to elaborate her situation, taking into account material factors such as financial support, child custody, professional training and so on.