ABSTRACT
Cooperation between children’s agencies has always happened in practice, but usually in a piecemeal fashion and with respect to only parts of the service system. In the first decade of the twenty-first century, though, government policies advocated ‘joint working’ and ‘integration’ across all relevant agencies in service planning, individual assessments and service delivery. This chapter considers the practical and legal basis for cooperation, and then takes a critical look at relevant concepts and evidence.
