ABSTRACT
One must be brave to put forward ideas on philosophy and practice for each local clearing house, as experience has shown, will evolve its own. There are now in the UK and in Germany annual meetings of clearing houses, and a national clearing house to organize them but there is no recognized structure, nor a national set-up which imposes rules and regulations. Clearing houses, as concerned friends, closely in touch with groups, can take up opportunities to influence practice and extend the availability of resources in other local agencies. The chapter looks at some examples of work by the Nottingham Self Help Team, first at work with local professionals and then at partnership with two particular local agencies. Nottingham Health Authority is unusual in having a forward looking health education unit. The amount of interaction between it and the Self Help Team has been variable, but the degree of common outlook was considerable.
