Ten papers are presented from a 1979 conference on services for families of developmentally disabled persons. R. Bruininks ("The Needs of Families") addresses aspects of direct and support services to families. "Social and Psychological Factors in Family Care" by C. Horejsi suggests that a family's or individual's ability to deal successfully with a disabled member is a function of their motivation, capacity, and environmental opportunities. B. Farber ("Sociological Ambivalence and Family Care") addresses the social contradictions facing parents of developmentally disabled children. W. Roth ("An Economic Model of Social and Psychological Factors in Families with Developmentally Disabled Children") discusses policy options for families: making the handicapped child a better investment or providing family subsidies. In "Economic Factors in Child Care," E. Boggs summarizes benefits of such strategies as early crisis intervention, day care, and respite care. Macro issues of resource allocation and competition are analyzed along with micro issues by R. Moroney ("Allocation of Resources for Family Care"). H. Trapper lists "Barriers to a Family Subsidy Program," including the belief that paying parents to care for their child is wrong. S. Zimmerman reviews current practices and their planning implications in "Families of the Developmentally Disabled: Implications for Research and the Planning and Provision of Services." G. Krantz summarizes conference proceedings and the participants' analysis of relevant public policy options. One of three appendixes briefly describes 21 innovative programs for families. (CL)