ABSTRACT
During the 1980s Margaret Boushel, Claire Debenham, Lisa Dresner and Anna Gorbach worked in the London borough of Islington within social services for preschool children. This chapter is an account of the way they perceived attempts to develop integrated provision for under fives and the barriers in attitudes and systems which were encountered. The first section provides an overview of provision and services in 1983. The next section describes attempts to create a clear under-fives policy. The third section looks at the faltering progress towards integrated services. The fourth section examines the formidable barriers that were posed by reorganisation of social services, local authority cuts and the demise of the Inner London Education Authority. The chapter concludes with a mixture of resignation and determination.
