Since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, 4.3 million children under 15 years of age have been infected with HIV worldwide; in the year 2000 alone, the World Health Organization estimates that 600,000 children became HIV-infected. Ancillary services offer the potential to improve access to and retention in primary care through removal of barriers to care. Globally, ancillary services may actually represent a significant proportion of all care delivered to HIV-infected children, particularly in the absence of expensive antiretroviral treatments. The purpose of this non-concurrent cohort study was to describe a population of HIV-infected children receiving ancillary services from an HIV- and family-specific ancillary service programme in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Forty-two HIV-infected children ages newborn to 13 years were included in the study. The majority were between one and five years of age (50.0%), male (54.8%), African-American (88.1%), and perinatally infected (97.6%). Services were well utilized; delivery decreased with age and increased with severity of clinical disease. Improved retention, prescription of antiretroviral treatment and HIV-related emergency room utilization were associated with ancillary service receipt. Ancillary services delivered by an HIV- and family-specific programme assist HIV-infected children to receive improved medical care. Ancillary services are a valuable adjunct to primary care, particularly in the complex care of the HIV-infected children from historically underserved populations.