The politics of partnership working

Well-publicised failures of professionals from different agencies to collaborate effectively have been held responsible for a number of recent tragic deaths of children in the UK. As a result of this, children's services are being transformed as part of the call for 'joined-up working for joined-up solutions' in social work, education and health, with some social and educational policy discourses driven by the idea that 'effective' interprofessional, inter-agency collaboration is crucial in determining whether service delivery to children and families will succeed or fail. This book critically examines the assumptions that underlie current practice in schools and children's services in an attempt to uncover and question what needs to change or be done differently if future services to children and young people are to be made better. In particular the book examines Policy, theory and discourses surrounding interprofessional practice. The formation of professional identities and their impact on practice. The role of early professional training and socialization into professional norms, values and roles. The effects of the complex relationships between professional identities, knowledge and practice in the development of social and other capitals. With contributions from experts around the UK and the US, these issues are examined from a range of theoretical and disciplinary perspectives - essential if collaborative understanding is to be developed among policy-makers, practitioners and academics working across the range of children's services.