[Home care: searching for individual and family's autonomy in the public scope]

The objective of this essay is to reflect on the possibility of searching for individual and family's autonomy in public health services through health professionals, mainly nurses in the development of home care. Some aspects related to the organization and health professionals' education must be considered in order to perform home care in health systems, mainly in the public service scope. Effective home care must watch individuals and their families in their context, visualizing and considering their social environment, their insertions, their homes, their habits and relationships, and anything or any situation that are part of their existence in the world. Autonomy - for individuals as well as their families to be able to carry out home care during an illness - is the possibility to deliver care supported by the health system, with professionals teaching, guiding and giving follow up, mainly a sensitive and technically-scientifically competent nurse to set up caring goals attending health reality - lived disease.