A seamless service: meeting the needs of children with disabilities through a multi-agency approach

Recent research and child care legislation has brought about a change in emphasis in services for families where there is a child with disabilities. The multi-disciplinary approach, where different agencies and professionals work together to provide a holistic service, has become of paramount importance. This study reports the results of an evaluation of a multi-agency Children's Centre which was attempting to put the rhetoric into practice. A multi-method research design, incorporating quantitative and qualitative techniques, was used. The main aim was to assess how far the Centre was carrying out an integrated approach in order to meet the needs of children and carers. The results indicate that while staff felt that there was still some way to go to provide a seamless service, the vast majority of parents felt that the Centre did meet its aims. While the reasons for these differences are explored, and the authors caution against complacency, the overall conclusion is that there is evidence that professionals can successfully work together in close proximity with one shared aim; and that such multi-agency centres work for families.