Integrated and Collaborative Working Essay

What is integrated and cooperative functional and why is it so important in nipperhood dress? The numerous well-publicised pip-squeak protection representatives a good deal(prenominal) as Baby P and Daniel Pelka seduce emphasized just what tin roll in the hay happen when services cheat to clobber cooperatively and this shows why integrated functional and cooperative practice is life-sustaining and imperative. The outcomes of fatal accident enquiries, like the cases of the chelaren menti unmatchedd, continu wholey conclude that a deficiency of communication amongst agencies with regards to shargon of relevant discipline and concerns regarding vulner fit electric shaverren argon one factor which requires to be addressed. The idea behind multi-agency workings is that electric razorren and families who whitethorn require additional assistance atomic number 18 supported tellingly and effectively, therefore minimising or even prohibiting either difficulties fr om arising. Children develop in different ship dischargeal and achieve developmental stages at different rates therefore a diversity of skills and support from a range of different victor persons is required in order to productively meet these indispensablenesss.On 10th December 2008, the economical governing launched The Early Years Framework to highlight the importance of working in professional confederacy to fall through children the best possible graduation in life. The Scottish decision makers concern for kind cellular inclusion and desire to promote joined up policies, an increased demand on services from service users and not to mention the focus on child-centeredness ar just a few justifications for such(prenominal) a focus on and drive towards collaborative practice. The benefits of integrated working ar enormous as ever soy(prenominal) professionals implement a holistic lift, and working in partnership make believes better quality services. Integrated w orking ensures aboriginal identification of any difficulties by efficient sharing of relevant information, thus ensuring that appropriate hitch can be delivered eonly.Families also develop closer sex actships with a mannequin of agencies doneout the stages of judgement/intervention resulting in better support and utilisation of families, and subsequently the inescapably of the child atomic number 18 much credibly to be met. Anformer(a) benefit is that the to a greater extent collaborative working that is carried out between agencies, the more experience is transferred between professionals on the wholeowing for a more well-informed and expert team around the child. This could also potentially reduce the need for more specialised services. By working in a collaborative charge it also allows for critical reflection allowing all agencies to participate in decision-making tour refining theirknowledge. With that being said, we are faced with a number of barriers that can much make integrated working less than simple. These can take poor communication both within and between agencies, and to some distributor point a lack of uncertainties in roles and responsibilities, inconsistencies regarding legislation, confidentiality and the sharing of information.Funding streams are often a barrier to collaborative working. One which I can adjoin to in my workplace is infinitesimal to no access to IT equipment and/or compatible systems which would facilitate sharing of information. Some research has been carried out in relation to personality traits within teams and Belbins team roles theory shows the importance of recognising the strengths and weaknesses of individuals utilizing the strengths of individually person in order to create a productive and efficient team, a clearly beneficial factor in collaborative working. season utilizing the strengths, it is important to manage the weaknesses suggesting that an unbalanced team could just as likely become a barrier. The importance of collaborative working can be seen in the example of a Speech and Language Therapist (SLT). This professional works in close partnership with children and their families, not to mention former(a) professionals. Their job is to tax children with speech, language and communication difficulties or those with difficulties eating, drinking or swallowing.Communication is an important part of child development which affects every other area of progression. SLT are an invaluable link between education and health as they are skilled at identifying potential underlying difficulties/disorders. at that place are umteen factors an SLT has to consider including the impact these difficulties bewilder on the childs life and the urgency of such a referral. Integrated working is crucial as professionals gain a full family history, thorough judging of every aspect of the childs life, and pull this together into a formulation virtually the childs difficulties and how they are being maintained. If such a comprehensive assessment was not available then an SLT could potentially arrive at an inaccurate formulation of a childs difficulties due to incomplete information which other agencies may hold.The significance of effective integrated working is clear in this case, as the barriers previously discussed can make the job of Speech and Language Therapists very difficult as an inaccurate formulation may result in serious implications for a childs intervention. An Educational Psychologist is another professionalthat heavily relies on effective integrated working. The purpose of these professionals is to work with children and unseasoned hatful who are having difficulties with achieving their learning potential. Gone are the days where the only rationale for such issues was innate condition of the child which required treating. Instead psychologists are considering the need for adjustments in certain external influences such as environment, curriculu m and peers as well as internal factors like child resilience as possible solutions to such difficulties. This does not undermine the possibility of organic causes such as autism etc.Their role is vital in supporting children, families, and educators whereby children are not achieving their maximum level of educational attainment for whatever apprehension (be it companionable, emotional, familial, or academically) and educational psychologists must work with many another(prenominal) different agencies in order to gain a full and clear assessment of all potential factors and causes. Urie Bronfenbrenners ecological theory explains how lives are affected by people and events around us, further evidence that psychologists have good occasion to believe that certain difficulties children face are in fact to do with these external influences. Bronfenbrenners theory is based on five levels of social interaction and its effects. The first level, Microsystem is based on the or so chair interactions. Family, peers, school, work or the area in which an individual lives. Mesosystem follows and includes the relationships between microsystems. Next is Exosystem which involves the connections with a social environment in which the individual doesnt have direct interaction. Macrosystem is the influence of culture, religion, traditions and media. These differ and conflict in different countries.The fifth level Chronosystem consists of the significant events that occur in an individuals life, such as getting married or divorced etc. Bronfenbrenner believed that the influence of environmental factors was paramount in shaping the development of children from childhood to adulthood. The Scottish Executive published Its everyones job to make sure Im alright (2002). The focus of this child protection review was an examine of the practice of police, medical, nursing, social work, childrens reporter, and education staff concluding that everyone has a duty and role in safeguardin g and ensuring the welfare of children. The audit was based on a sample of 188 cases which covered the range of possible concerns about children from earlyidentification of vulnerability to substantiated abuse or neglect (both of which are significantly detrimental to childhood development).Neglect and abuse can be deemed as the environmental influences suggested by Bronfenbrenner that manipulate a childs progression. In many cases the audit found that children were not receiving the services they required and many could not access services such as health apprehension if their parents/ headachers did not cooperate. This highlights the importance of integrated and collaborative practice and the need for sharing of information across agencies regarding concerns with vulnerable children. Good practice included the homework of help to parents and children as and when was needed, timely responses, early thought and preparation, and accurately assessing the ascendent of the risk. In o rder to properly assess a childs risk, a multiagency approach is required in order to gain a comprehensive assessment of the childs needs. apiece professional involved in providing a service to children has a duty to ensure their safety and promote psychological wellbeing. In order to do so professionals must share information when there are concerns about a childs manifestation in order to gain a comprehensive assessment of a childs needs. each Child Matters is a UK Government foremost for England and Wales launched in 2003, partially in response to the destruction of capital of Seychelles Climbie. It is one of the most important policy initiatives and development programmes in relation to children and childrens services. It has been the title of 3 Government papers, which lead to the Children Act 2004. The main aims of Every Child Matters are for every child, whatever their background or circumstances, to have the support they need to stay safe, good for you(p), enjoy and ac hieve, economic wellbeing, and positive contribution. separately of these themes have a detailed framework attached whose outcomes require multiagency partnerships working together to achieve. Every Child Matters advocates that it is essential that all professionals working with children are aware of the contribution that could be made by their own and each others service and plan and deliver their work therefore (bread maker R 2009). Every Child Matters has been influential throughout the UK-Getting it Right for Every Child is the equivalent approach in Scotland.The Scottish Government belatedly published Getting It Right for Every Child(GIRFEC), which was designed to create a consistent, child-centred approach within and across the agencies who are involved with children and young people. Getting it right for every child is being threaded through all existing policy, practice, strategy and legislation affecting children, young people and their families. GIRFEC uses the Wellbeing Wheel (Appendix 1) or the SHANARRI indicators as theyre often referred to, in order to create a consistent way for professionals in multi-agencies to assess a childs development and general wellbeing. SHANARRI is an acronym for the eight indicators (Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible, Included) employ to make the evaluation of a childs welfare in order to help them develop their full potential.It is important that everyone is assessing the same aspects of a childs wellbeing using their own unique professional training and skills by using these indicators as guidance. This allows all agencies involved to have the same shared understanding of a childs needs and the support they require. The Scottish Government values the purpose of collaborative working and in order to do so effectively, there must be certain legislation inaugurated. The Children (Scotland) Act 1995 is a child-centred piece of legislation that outlines the provision cracked to child ren and families and the duties of the local governing to childrens wellbeing regarding support, safeguarding and intervention. The act emphasizes the importance of the childs welfare and gives the child the right to have their views considered, when key decisions are being made about their life, incorporating UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is law that all agencies must adhere to this act when working with children and families requiring additional needs, ensuing successful multi-agency working.The Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 was leavened to create regulations to which all social care services must adhere to in order to rectify and maintain a high quality of care, otherwise they are no longer permitted to provide a service. With Care Inspectorate, the regulatory body ensuring that all care services are following the National Care Standards tack together by the Scottish Government, its easy to see how encouraging everyone to quip the same high quality of care can support collaborative working by sharing knowledge, skills and practice. A well-qualified, professional workforce is the most important factor in delivering the quality of services that will give children the best possiblestart in life. (QAA Scotland) The Benchmark Statements for Childhood reading outlines the expectations from SSSC and ensures that lead practitioners in childcare settings are qualified to high type and competent in working collaboratively with parents, families and other agencies.As previously discussed, when agencies do not work collaboratively there can be devasting impacts which in utmost(prenominal) cases can contribute to fatality which is highlighted by the capital of Seychelles Climbie Inquiry Report, 2002-3. Victoria Climbie died in the intensive care unit of St Marys infirmary Paddington in February 2000, aged 8 years old. Her death was caused by tenfold injuries arising from months of ill-treatment and abuse by her great-aunt and her partner . Victorias death led to a public enquiry and produced major changes in child protection policies. One of the recommendations from the fatal accident enquiry was that society should be aiming to ensure that there are systems in place which detect what is mishap at an early stage so as to be able to intervene successfully to protect the child. This tragically did not happen for Victoria. She was failed comprehensively by all the services she was known to and who should have ultimately defend her.Despite repeated contacts with different services, no proper assessment was ever undertaken, and no more was known about Victoria when she died than was known about her the day after she arrived in the country. The very fact that her case was close by Haringey Social Services the day she died points to the scale of failure. So also does the fact that the authorities charged with her care almost without exception failed to communion to Victoria directly, instead addressing their concerns to those responsible ultimately for her death. Peter Connelly (also known as the case of baby P) was a 17month old baby who died in capital of the United Kingdom after suffering over 50 injuries in an 8month time period, during which time he was repeatedly seen by Haringey Childrens Services and NHS health professionals. The case caused shock and concern partly because of the magnitude of Peters injuries, and partly because Peter had lived in the borough of Haringey, under the same child care authorities that had already failed 10 years earlier in the case of Victoria Climbe which had, as previously stated, led to a public enquiry resulting in measures being put in place in an effort to prevent similar cases happening.The child protection services of Haringey and other agencies were widely criticised. sideline the conviction, 3 enquiries and a nationwide review of social service care were launched. Over the course of months, Peter was admitted to hospital with a range of injuries i ncluding bruising, scratches and ostentation to the head. The serious case review concluded that there were instances of mishandling by officials, disoriented and delayed meetings, miscommunication among officials, and a failure to follow through with decisions related to the childs safety. Parental matter is high on the Scottish Governments expectations and working within a community nursery pelt along by a committee of parents requires a great love of collaborative working in order for the nursery to run efficiently and effectively. purpose a balance of what parents want, what children need, while embracing the Curriculum for Excellence requires a great deal of expedient communication.It requires successful sharing of knowledge and skills between beard parents and qualified practitioners. The most productive committee would ideally be influenced by Belbins team role theory, however finding volunteers to be on such a committee can be difficult. work collaboratively with age ncies such a Visual Screening and Oral Health can have tremendous benefits to childrens wellbeing, is essential in promoting a healthy lifestyle and can offer preventative interventions. Working with other agencies such as Speech and Language Therapists and Educational Psychologists requires a great deal of integrated and collaborative working also and with the introduction of standardised referral forms has helped to establish consistency in information gathering which is a step towards more collaborative working, however working in such a elflike nursery, communications with these agencies can be infrequent and having such little experience dealing with these agencies, staff can sometimes lack confidence and knowledge how to fill out paperwork and follow procedures.A suggestion would be to offer more in-house training regarding these procedures to ensure that when issues do arise staff know competent in dealing with these situations. The importance of transitions for children go ing to school seems to be high on the local authorities agenda. There are many initiatives that would be highly beneficial to children but trying to obtain the involvement of other nurseries can sometimes be difficult. Poor communication and incapableness to participate can be an obstacle often hard to submerge due toother establishments finances, staffing issues and in some cases the unwillingness to take part. attending liaison meetings with other nurseries to share knowledge, ideas and information is a great parentage of collaborative practice, but again this requires the willingness to be involved. One of the biggest barriers in collaborative working is poor communication. It is everyones role to ensure that as much information is shared with all agencies involved, the importance of this cannot be stressed enough. How little knowledge some professionals have regarding the roles of others can also be a hindrance. In order to improve collaborative working an increased sensatio n of the roles and responsibilities of other agencies is imperative.Reference ListA Guide to GIRFEC, Scottish Government, 2013Baker R, 2009, Making Sense of Every Child Matters Multi-professional Practice Guidance, Policy bear onEarly Years Framework, Scottish government, Edinburgh, 2008Every Child Matters, Sept 2003. www.everychildmatters.gov.uk accommodate of Commons Health Committee The Victoria Climbie Inquiry Report, 2002-3Its everyones job to make sure Im alright, Report of the child protection audit and review. Scottish Government, 2002The Case of Child A. Haringey council, 2008, 11-12The Quality authorisation Agency for Higher Education, The Standard for Childhood Practice, 2007, Linney Direct, MansfieldThe Structure of Belbins team up Roles. Fisher et al, 1998, Journal of Occupational and Organisational psychology, 71, 283-288