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Developing effective multi-agency and partnership working

A multi-agency approach involves practitioners in working across traditional professional boundaries. Every Child Matters (ECM) calls for multi-agency collaboration to meet the complex needs of children and families. As a school leader, you have a key role in building partnerships, sharing responsibility and creating a shared vision.

Why offer multi-agency services?

Multi-agency working is driven by a desire for collaborative advantage - an outcome that is greater than the sum of the individual efforts. Research shows a number of benefits to this approach, including:

  • improved outcomes for children and families through access to a wider range of services
  • benefits for staff and services, such as less replication between different service providers
  • increased efficiency in the delivery of services through better links between different providers

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What are the implications for school leaders?

Working in partnership brings new complexities to your role, requiring you to use new sets of skills. Success depends on your ability to lead in a climate of change. Here are some issues to bear in mind:

  • There are no models or templates. The type of partnerships you develop will be based on the needs of your own local community.
  • Traditional, hierarchical approaches to power and authority are no longer relevant.
  • Your management style will need to demonstrate a commitment to shared leadership and vision.
  • Having an entrepreneurial spirit is a distinct advantage. This means embracing qualities such as resourcefulness, tenacity, high levels of energy, and a tendency to trust people.

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Developing an effective multi-agency approach

There are a variety of ways to work in a multi-agency environment. Every locality is developing an approach that is right for its own circumstances. However, there are some good practice tips that can help:

  • Start with a health check survey of the collaborative effort you have made so far. This will help diagnose areas that are going well, as well as identify areas where tensions exist.
  • Engage a strategic sponsor who will aid the process of collaboration.
  • Be aware that the joint projects that come of collaborative working will demand good project management skills. Use a project management checklist that is based on national standards of good practice to review progress.
  • Work with all team members to identify and overcome obstacles. Do this regularly.
  • Realise that learning new ways of working and relating to others doesn’t happen overnight. Make sure everyone involved in the partnership understands their learning goals as individuals and as a collective.
  • Use a knowledge and competence framework to facilitate collaboration. This can help in choosing new facilitators by specifying the skills needed for a particular task.  

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Multi-Agency Team Development programme (MATD) and the Integrated Leadership Development Pilot programme (ILDP)

We have previously provided professional development for multi-agency teams through both the Multi-Agency Team Development programme (MATD) - from 2007-11 - and the Integrated Leadership Development Pilot (ILDP) - from 2009-10. The ILDP was designed as a refresh of the MATD, introducing a more flexible approach to reach a wider audience and concentrate on local needs. Both programmes have now closed but their content, delivery model and learning will form part of an overall review of provision that we are undertaking.

Discover the impact that our programmes have had on participating teams:

Examples of good practice

Examples of good practice in partnership working show that school leaders need to adopt new ways of working to make this approach a success. Successful behaviours include:

  • engaging those outside the school environment as equal partners
  • making the time and effort to work across boundaries
  • being willing to explore new ways of working and take risks
  • creating a shared vision of what the partnership aims to achieve
  • putting the needs of children, young people and families at the heart of the partnership’s work

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Related publications and resources