Working with Families

Multi-agency Working

Nathan Loynes

Today’s P

ack

Thompson, (2009:183)

“Multi-disciplinary collaborations involve a number

of differences that can

easily clash”

Values

Perspectives

Expectations

Priorities Experiences

Norms

Budgets

Protocols

Thompson, (2009:184-5)

“Working in partnership is

important to avoid these

3 sets of problems”

Thompson, (2009:184-5)

1. Falling between 2 stools2. Wasteful overlap3. Pulling in different directions

How might each of these appear?

Thompson, (2009:185)

“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.”

Read Thomson, 2009:186-8

Principles of working togetherHow 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 sensitiveAvoid Hierarchies Avoid preciousness

Focus on communication

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.

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 promote the welfare of children.

Development in Policy(Victoria Climbie : 25 February 2000)

Every Child Matters, 2004

What did ECM mean?

•More roles•More interventions•More skills

“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)

More Skills? Earlier & Better Assessments of need

Assessment is part of a bigger process

The Common Assessment Framework

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.

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.

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’.

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)