Working in Multi-professional Contexts: A Practical Guide for Professionals in Children's Services

About the Book

Making links between different professional roles, policies and practices, this book equips readers swith the skills, knowledge and understanding that managers, practitioners and students require to work in integrated multiprofessional settings. It draws on case studies to consider the dilemmas, challenges and complexities common within workplaces. Chapters cover: @! roles, policies and practices in integrated services @! quality assessment in a multiprofessional context @! evaluating and developing children and family services @! participation and engagement in integrated family centres @! contemporary leadership and management in multiprofessional teams @! innovative multiprofessional learning @! creative multiprofessional environments. Each chapter incorporates activities to support professional development. Six chapters analyse: multi-professional case studies on inclusive education; joint assessment and family support; leadership in integrated children's services (education, health and social services); participatory one-stop family centre design; and mentoring in the childcare/early years sector.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: Themes, Issues and Conclusions The Book, Its Concept, Why It Is Needed and Who It Is for The Structure of the Book Multi-Professional Assessment, Planning and Delivery Concepts of Assessment Structures of Assessment Relationships of Assessment Conclusion Recommended Further Reading Participation and Multi-professional Working Defining Our Concepts of Participation Structures of Participation Participatory Relationships Conclusion Recommended Further Reading Traditional Structures of Multi-Professional Leadership and Management Concepts of Visionary Leadership and Management Management, Leadership and Organisational Structures Relational Multi-Professional Management and Leadership Conclusion Recommended Further Reading Contemporary Approaches to Multi-Professional Leadership and Management Reflexive Managers, Leaders and Individuals Systemic Multi-Professional Joint Working Multi-Professional Systems, Relationships and Change Conclusion Recommended Further Reading Multi-Professional Evaluation Total Quality Management Research-Based Evaluation/Development Relational Approaches to Evaluation Conclusion Recommended Further Reading Multi-Professional Learning and Creativity Concepts of Multi-Professional Learning, Innovation and Creativity? Environments for Innovation, Creativity and Change Conclusion Recommended Further Reading Final Conclusions References Index

About the Author :
John M. Davis is a Senior Lecturer at Moray House School of Education, University of Edinburgh where he teaches and researches on childhood, inclusion, disability, and social justice.

Mary Smith is Head of Children′s Services for a Local Authority in Scotland and is an Associate Lecturer at Moray House School of Education, University of Edinburgh.

Review :
′Comprehensive coverage of the complex challenges of multi-professional working make this book essential reading for educators, students and professionals. Case studies are used effectively and the reader is directed to appropriate further reading. An excellent contribution to the field′
-Eunice Lumsden Deputy
Divisional Leader and Programme Leader for the BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies Degree at The University of Northampton

for students on a policy course in child and family studies. Recommended this in helping understanding multi-professional learning.

Excellent book Recommended read for all students as covers necessary aspects of multi-agency working. Practical and easy to read. A bit children focused but has good references and up to date This book is highly relevant to students studying how multi-professional teams work.

Although a useful book, the students found it somewhat difficult to access. It didnt seem particularly relevant to the assignment content. This book has been very useful when delivering my current module on positive relationships. The students had to read around the subject of multi agency working. The information contained within it is easy to access and interesting and relevant to read. This book initially takes sometime to embrace with enthusiam, but once you do persevere in reading it is very well thought out and interesting read. I particularly like chapters 4 and 5, as they offer some interesting thinking on ′Leadership and Management′ that multi-professional working can be twart with problems or issues if not understood.

For any person interested in ′MASH′ which encompasses much of the principles of working in multi-professional contexts, this book would provide an invaluable knowledge and understandiing the complexities that suttle and inherent in multi-agency working and help the reader to recognise and develop strategies to address these implicitly within their practice. This book is reccomended for quite a few of the modules that I teach. It looks at many areas of multiprofessional working. It is clearly set out and easy to dip in and out of. This book has really enthused my student′s wider reading to help with assignment tasks Excellent text that allows students to fully explore multi-agency working and issues that can arise through the process of working together. Very good links to evidnced based research This is an excellent text for my EY EYP students as they have a core module on MA working Very good, relevant and informative. Very good, relevant and informative. Essential text which supports students through complex multi-professional relationships. Activities prompt valuable group discussions. A student and I both looked at this book; we felt there is a good and clear insight into multi-agency working and offers some practical as well as more theoretical underpinning approaches. great layout, very informative, helpful links to further reading Effective use of case studies to explore the challenges of mulit-professional working. Also explores contemporary leadership and management within children′s services with good context. This book is highly relevant to those who work within a multi-professional context.

Different approaches are explored and complexities examined. very good, relevant and essential information A great book that provide students with the understanding of how to develop professional practice through collaborative working. Quite high level and more for those working in multiprofessional settings than just early years - but very informative High level text and more for those working in multiprofessional settings than just early years - but very informative Informative but no specific links to playworkers High level text and more for those working in multiprofessional settings than just early years - but very informative. Useful for those working with children in need Look forward to using this excellent textbook with those of our students who are, or have been, practitioners. A really useful reference text, particularly for tutors and practice educators working in and with multi-professional teams. I have already used it regularly to inform strategies for interprofessional education. A good core text for my module where students are studying multi-professional contexts for working in child care practice. A must have for any practitioner! Discussess all the complex issues around these relationships. Considers important studies and has a European perspective.
Very useful for identifying leadership and how to work in an effective way The inter professional training we carry out within the faculty does not focus on specialist practice but is far more generalist.