Online joint practice tool for local services

A website created by the Commission will allow all Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs), which tackle issues such as teenage pregnancy, alcohol and drug abuse and improving child safety, to assess their performance and find out about the good practice of others.

A report published by the Audit Commission last week found that LSPs, joint committees of local service providers including local councils, police, community representatives and volunteers, faced complex challenges and had lessons to learn from each other.

The Working Together report looked at the work of 388 LSPs and found that they have "important lessons to learn from one another".

Jane Kennedy, senior research manager at the Audit Commission, who led on the Working Together report, said the new online tool would help LSPs to identify strengths and weaknesses and share best practice, such as a case in Derbyshire, cited in the report, which led to a 35 per cent reduction in antisocial behaviour.

The report found that the best practice comes from long standing LSPs who share information about their successes and failures.

She said: "Children's trust arrangements are not the only location for children's and young people's services. Health Partnerships and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships are just as likely to deal with young people's issues as children's trusts. The issue is how to join up at Local Strategic Partnership levels to ensure an overview."

LSPs should divide up joint work into three teams for strategy, management and service provision, the report said.