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Aim: to understand the perception of families regarding the possibility to accompany emergency care procedures of their beloved one. Method: this is a descriptive study, with a qualitative approach. The sample is composed by 16 accompanying families of people who were treated in emergency rooms of units located in three cities in the South of Brazil. The data was collected in August 2015, through audio recorded interviews, later transcribed, and sent to analysis of content based on the themes. Results: the relatives mentioned they would have liked to accompany their beloved ones during emergency care. They believed that they could have demonstrated support to the patient, and they would have understood better the clinical condition. Yet, the fact they were not present during emergency care demonstrated the presence of feelings, such as sadness, despair, impotence, and feelings of family abandonment. Final considerations: health professionals of emergency rooms need, according to the possibilities present in the units, allow that families are near to their beloved ones during care procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]