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The Common Assessment Framework provides a model of early intervention, which is familiar in local authorities throughout England, and asserts a participatory framework of child and family engagement. This paper is based on a qualitative study of parents and children who were subject to a multi‐agency process of early intervention in children's social care in a local authority in the Midlands of England. I advance the concept of assemblage to consider the basis of an active service user participation as rather more a struggle to achieve than something that has been granted by practitioner agencies. Interview extracts are used to show the enrolment and assembly of participation as a process of service users developing their active human agency in a multi‐agency setting. The article explores the assembling of skills in administration and management of meetings and plans, accessing knowledge and expertise through service user networks, and challenging professional expertise and institutional space while developing personal qualities of confidence and voice as a means of marshalling an effective participation in a multi‐agency setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public policies encourage the service system to work in new ways to promote health and increase social equality. This paper presents four categories that show the character of the low-threshold services in Norwegian family centres from the professionals' and parents' perspectives, focusing on accessibility and participation: easy access, low level of bureaucracy, collaborative competences and inclusive arena. This paper is based on an inductive study in three municipalities that have chosen to establish family centres as interdisciplinary co-located services that aim to offer low-threshold services for children and their families. Data were generated through a fieldwork, and participatory observation and interviews were the main source of data. The methodological framework for the analysis was grounded theory, in which the data generation and analysis interchanged throughout the study, and theoretical sampling set the focus for the fieldwork. Exploring the actor's perspective highlighted both strengths and challenges with the low-threshold services in the family centres. The four elements presented emphasize that the value of these low-threshold services are not found in one single hallmark; rather, the value depends on an interaction between different elements that must be addressed when establishing, evaluating and developing low-threshold services in family centres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to add to the literature on working with fathers by focusing on early intervention. It draws on research into fathers involved in a home visitation service delivered by the Family Nurse Partnership in England and evaluates the men's experiences of the intervention. The vulnerability of fathers was striking and many were helped to develop their practical skills and confidence in caring for their babies. The intervention was effective because of the quality time that was invested in developing relationships with fathers (as well as mothers), the focus on their strengths as well as areas for improvement and the skilled, therapeutically oriented, holistic approach through which the service was delivered. The 'early' nature of the help was crucial to its success because of how it so effectively tapped into the men's redefinition of themselves as caring fathers during pregnancy and following the birth. We argue that there is important learning here for social care and health services in general about how to engage men and promote fathers' capacities to care for their children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses aspects of the implementation of the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) in the UK, introduced under the Change for Children Programme and designed to facilitate early intervention and improve multi-agency working. The study area was rural in character and findings are compared with evaluation of early CAF implementation which focused primarily on urban areas. The study provided lessons for practice, many of which resonate particularly with rural problems identified in the international literature. There may be advantages in rural areas in ease of involvement of families in processes, in early awareness of practitioners of difficulties in families and in depth of relationships with families. These in turn may support early intervention. Disadvantages centre around resource issues, those of skills and confidence and lack of contact with and therefore distrust of other agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preschool children living in low-income families are at increased risk for poor outcomes; early intervention programmes mitigate these risks. While there is considerable evidence of the effectiveness of centre-based programmes in other jurisdictions, there is limited research about Canadian programmes, specifically programmes that include children and parents. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a single-site, two-generation preschool demonstration programme for low-income families in Canada. A single group, pre-test (programme intake) /post-test (programme exit) design with a 7-year-old follow-up was used. Between intake and exit, significant improvements in receptive language and global development were found among the children, and significant improvements in self-esteem, use of community resources, parenting stress and risk for child maltreatment were found among the parents. These positive improvements were sustained until the children were 7 years old. Public investment in two-generation preschool programmes may mitigate risks for suboptimal child development and improve parental psychosocial outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of multi-agency working is a key component of the government’s agenda for the reconfiguration of children’s services. This study examined multi-agency working from the perspective of social workers within an early-intervention family support team. Qualitative methods were used, involving individual interviews as well as focus groups with a total of 29 professionals within the early-intervention social work team and its partner agencies. Thematic analysis of transcripts showed a number of challenges to multi-agency working, which included issues focused on differences in partner agencies’ protocols, as well as issues concerning professional status and identity. Messages for best practice that emerged stress the need for clear protocols and methods of negotiating and reviewing protocols; opportunities for informal as well as formal communication between workers; and adequate financial support and timetabling of service developments. Benefits of multi-agency working involved enhanced inter-agency respect and communication, greater understanding of child protection thresholds among partner agencies and fast-track referrals. Areas requiring further investigation include the blurring of professional boundaries for social workers delivering early-intervention services in community settings and the outcomes for children of multi-agency working in early-intervention services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]