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This article looks at the representations and practices of support services for the long-term unemployed. Proponents of such measures extol the virtues of the support relationship as well as the independence and involvement of those being supported, over and above the “contract” formalising the relationship as well as the rights and obligations of both parties to the support relationship. The complexity of this interaction is readily apparent, spanning various types of relationship: interpersonal, professional and that of service provision. The dynamics and professional regulation of support services are aimed at adapting to its variable and ever-evolving nature and the idiosyncrasies of each situation. However, support providers do not always have the resources at their disposal, within their organisation and in the local area, to meet the expectations of support recipients, whether in relation to getting back into work or to an egalitarian vision of the support offered.