The document discusses the importance and challenges of multi-agency collaboration between professionals working with families. It notes that while collaboration has benefits, differences in values, perspectives and other factors can impede effective partnership. The Children Act 2004 and Every Child Matters policy renewed emphasis on collaboration following the Victoria Climbie case. These policies aim to unify goals and improve outcomes for children through better communication between systems, roles and trainings like the Common Assessment Framework. While the aims of multi-agency working are agreed in principle, effectively achieving and maintaining partnerships in practice remains challenging.

1. Working with Families
Multi-agency
Working
Nathan Loynes

4. “Multi-disciplinary
collaborations involve a number
of
differences that can
easily
clash”
Thompson, (2009:183)

5. Values
Norms
Priorities
Protocols
Perspectives
Experiences
Budgets

6. “Working in partnership is
important to avoid these
3
sets of
problems”
Thompson, (2009:184-5)

7. 1. Falling between 2 stools
2. Wasteful overlap
3. Pulling in different directions
How might each of these appear?
Thompson, (2009:184-5)

8. “In some of these situations, clients
may receive contradictory advice, with
one person undermining the efforts of
another. In many situations this will
happen unwittingly [not deliberate],
but, unfortunately, there are cases on
record of this happening intentionally
– clearly very poor, unethical practice.”
Thompson, (2009:185)

9. Read Thomson, 2009:186-8
Principles of working together
How might each of the following principles be
affected in communications between a Health
professional (i.e. a Midwife) and a Social Care
professional (i.e. a Family Support Worker)?
Avoid stereotypes
Understand each
other’s roles
Be sensitive
Avoid
Hierarchies
Avoid preciousness Focus
on communication

10. Conclusion:
• Multi-disciplinary collaboration has always
been important. In recent years it has received
renewed emphasis:
• Development in Law
• Development in Policy
• Recognition of impact on clients
• Never-the-less, ‘Human Factors’ often impede
effective collaboration.

11. Development in Law
The Children Act 2004
•S.10 A new duty on agencies to co-operate
to improve the well-being of children and young
people.
•S.11
A duty to safeguard and
the welfare of children.
promote

12. Development in Policy
(Victoria Climbie : 25 February 2000)

13. Every Child Matters, 2004

14. What did ECM mean?
•More roles
•More interventions
•More skills

15. “Multi-agency working has shown
to be an effective way of
supporting children and young
people with additional needs,
securing real improvements in
their life outcomes”.
(www.everychildmatters.gov.uk,
cited in Rawlings, 2008:77)

16. More Skills? Earlier & Better
Assessments of need

17. Assessment is part of a bigger process

18. The Common Assessment Framework

19. Summary:
• Renewed emphasis following death of Victoria
Climbie (2000).
• Climbie case characterised by a failure for
professionals to collaborate and
communicate.
• Acknowledgement that improved professional
communication could improve out comes for
all children.

20. Summary (continued)
• ECM policy devised to unify the goals that all
children’s professionals should be working
towards.
• This to be achieved through improved
communication and collaboration.
• Communication and Collaboration given
increased statutory importance by The
Children Act 2004.

21. Summary (continued)
• This needed to be achieved by different
systems, role creation and training in skills.
• These systems, roles and skills can be
exemplified in the Common Assessment
Framework.
• The CAF is a graduated and systematic
approach focused upon early identification of
needs with the intention to provide services
before ‘things get too far/bad’.

22. Finally:
• Although, communication and collaboration
(Multi-agency working) ‘look good on paper’
and most professionals would sign-up to their
aims ‘in principle’; ideal effective multi-agency
partnerships remain difficult to achieve and
maintain in practice.
• (See Cheminais 2009 in today’s pack for more
detail on these barriers and benefits)