ABSTRACT
This chapter observes there has been an emphasis in critical inquiries, especially where public policy has failed in some measure, around the inadequacies of collaborative working. It suggests these perceived inadequacies may mask deeper issues around financial resources and social inequality. The chapter highlights social workers understand the fundamental need and desirability to work closely with other organisations, as well as with service users. Two factors in recent years have put added emphasis in social work practice on working with other organisations. The first of these has been the identification of poor inter-professional working across organisations, which has been highlighted as responsible for failures of practice. The second factor putting added emphasis on inter-professional working is a powerful discourse that assumes enhanced arrangements for collaborative practice are necessarily a good thing, and which has driven substantial policy in this direction. The chapter discusses the policy drivers of collaborative working. It turns to the complexities of policy implementation.
