ABSTRACT
There has been an unprecedented expansion of existing services for children and families and the creation of a range of new services in recent years.Much of this expansion has been brought about by new legislation and policy expectations from the Sure Start Unit (Department for Education and Skills, 2004). Recent initiatives and service developments, to implement the government’s commitment to bring services closer to families and communities, require higher levels of interdisciplinary working.Examples of this are the establishment of 3,500 Children’s Centres (many on school sites) and through all schools becoming extended schools by 2010 (DH,2006).The National Service Framework for Children,Young People and Maternity services sets out expectations that will involve health professionals working closely with other professionals to help ensure the Every Child Matters outcomes are achieved for all children. These outcomes are clearly challenging and to achieve them the expectation of services working in a more integrated way will have to become a reality. National guidance, legislation and policy initiatives will contribute partly to achieving these outcomes but a central focus in realising these ambitious aims will be the responses of individual practitioners, a point emphasised by While (2006) who stated:
When government policies and initiatives are announced they often attract headlines, but these are short lived. If they are widely reported again it is generally because a policy has not had the expected impact or a target has not been achieved. This highlights the key challenge of legislation, policies and
initiatives – translating them into practice.And this is made harder because what may work in one area may not work in another. When implementing new services they are more likely to work if they take account of the context, utilise the best of past successes and empower practitioners to work in innovative ways. This chapter will explore the impact on practitioners of a range of policy developments and initiatives through three key changes:
■ the Common Assessment Framework;
■ the lead practitioner role;
■ information-sharing.
