ABSTRACT
Following on from the previous chapter’s discussion of the advantages and challenges of multi-agency working, this chapter will begin by outlining and exploring the theoretical framework chosen to underpin consideration of its dynamics and practice. Etienne Wenger’s ‘Communities of Practice’ (1998), which is drawn from the field of sociocultural psychology, offers a lens through which multi-agency practices can be studied and evaluated. Over the past 20 years, the concept has become widely influential in the social sciences and Plumb (2009, p. 299) asserts that it ‘has stirred considerable academic debate about the nature of learning and its role in social and cultural reproduction’. The chapter will consider the work of Wenger and its potential applicability to the MASH teams that are the subject of this research. It will also consider critiques of the approach and its potential limitations. It will then introduce the methodological aspects of the study, first detailing the rationale of the qualitative research design, justifying the use of focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Then, the different phases of the research will be outlined, including how participants were recruited; how the data were collected and details of the data-processing, analysis and verification. Finally, the chapter will set out the ethical considerations inherent in the research process and offer a reflexive account of the knowledge produced.
