research in practice

'In England and Wales, core groups are responsible for the implementation of the action plans agreed at the multi-agency case conference when a child’s name is added to the protection register'. This paper is founded on an evaluative review of core group practice in a northern metropolitan borough of England that took place in 2003-2004. this involved an examination of the relevant literature, scrutiny of local policy documents, analysis of service users' files and accounts of professionals. This paper is concerned with 'insights from the field' and spotlights the challenges faced by practitioners and managers in terms of three main aspects of core group practice: inter-agency coordination; inter-professional relationships; and partnership with parents and children.