teamwork

Assertive outreach primary aims to provide specialist services for people disengaged from traditional approaches of mental health services, but very little attention has been paid to how such services can develop. The Practice Based Evidence consultancy engaged with seven assertive outreach teams in England to implement an approach to practice development that focuses on team-working and adopting a specific strengths approach to its model of practice. This article summarises some of the findings and puts forward strengths-based recommendations to develop assertive outreach practice.

Assessment and Learning in Practice Settings (ALPS) is a collaborative programme between five Higher Education Institutions. ALPS aim is to ensure that students graduating from courses in health and social care are fully equipped to perform confidently and competently in their professional careers.

A study suggesting ways to improve communication between schools and children's services is discussed. The study 'Multi professional communication: making systems work for children' by Georgian Glenny and Caroline Roaf, examined case studies over a seven year period in order to identify the ingredients of successful communication systems.

This resource is one of the units on the Open University's OpenLearn website, which provides free and open educational resources for learners and educators around the world. After studying this unit users should be able to demonstrate understanding of the importance of negotiating the meaning of care relationships and be able to identify ways in which people play the roles of 'carer' and 'receiver of care'. This unit combines activities and discussion.

This practice guide provides information and knowledge to support critical thinking and methods so that first line managers can apply, adapt and develop the material to their own particular work environment, current priorities and as an aid to their own continuing professional development. It covers a range of topics that are listed in the left hand menu.

This resource highlights key themes from the Research in Practice publication 'Professionalism, partnership and joined-up thinking: a research review of front-line working with children and families' by Nick Frost, Senior Lecturer at the University of Leeds. This resource provides a useful introduction to the book, which includes more detail about the evidence from which the themes noted here are drawn as well as full references, brief historical and conceptual context, and practice examples.

This review directly addresses the practical implications of multiprofessional and multiagency working on the front line. It draws messages from a diffuse range of literature spanning organisational theories, research and practice to offer guidance to practitioners, team leaders and educators. While relating the evidence to historical, theoretical and current policy contexts, it retains a primary interest in the day-to-day experience of professionals in social care, education, health and other areas, and in trying to improve the outcomes for vulnerable children and families.