Family policy:The UUP called for British government policy to support and encourage "stable family units in every possible way for the betterment of our children and society in general".
The motion, proposed by May Steele, noted that there was deep concern at what she called "the breakdown of certain parental and family responsibility".
She linked this to the rise of domestic and social violence and perhaps the rise in suicide rates especially among teenagers.
The motion was amended following an intervention by East Antrim Assembly member Roy Beggs junior who advised delegates to be wary of linking suicides to government policy and other social problems.
Alistair Donaldson said Northern Ireland had to admit to some of the highest levels of factors known to lead to people dying by suicide.
"The problem with this subject," he said "is no-one wants to talk about it. I am deafened by that silence."
If society did not want to address the issue of suicide, how then could those suffering and at risk from self-harm be supposed to open up and seek help, he asked.
Avril Swann said parents had to take more responsibility for their children. Last month's loyalist riots in Belfast were shocking because of the age of some of the child rioters.
She linked this to poor parental control, the breakdown of family structures and the absence in many cases of a father figure.
She also blamed a political culture in which loyalist communities were continually told that they had lost everything while nationalist communities were on the rise.
Richard James said poverty underpinned many social ills and contrasted the North's poor record with its EU neighbours.
Education was "the silver bullet" which should be used to target social need.
Dr Esmond Birnie, a South Belfast Assembly member, said violence within the home and suicide were particularly prevalent in Northern Ireland. The suicide rate was twice that in Britain, he claimed. The motion was a brave one in that it tackled problems many would rather not address.
Alistair Baxter, in probably the most emotional address of the conference, pleaded for the conference to address the problems associated with male victims of domestic abuse.
"Feminist extremist organisations," he said, had helped engender the notion that only women suffered violence in the home.
Referring to the numbers attending conference, Mr Baxter said that if the rate of abuse was reflected in the body of the hall, then 65 women would be victims of severe abuse, as would 26 men.
"Governments in the UK and Ireland totally ignore the needs of men," he said.
Policy documents "use the right words" he said, but in practice they meant little.
Paula Baxter summed up the debate which was passed unanimously.