The phrase "joined-up working" trips easily off the tongue. However, the obstacles for health, social services and education professionals working in close partnership are high, including conflicting targets, different career structures and a multitude of professional languages, to name just a few.
According to Adam Goldstein, a policy manager in the joint children's trusts team at the Department of Health, talking at a recent conference: "Partnership takes time, energy, commitment, negotiation, compromise, courage and leadership. It requires trust in the face of territorialism, tribalism, terrorism, traditionalism and timidity."
That's not to say collaboration can't work. There are children services' teams out there that have proved you can put partnerships into practice.
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