The emergent role of the link worker: a study in collaboration

Partnership working is integral to New Labour's approach to modernising health and social care services for vulnerable groups such as children with complex needs. This paper draws on an initiative from Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in which strategic and operational change have been promoted across the health and social care community in order to provide co-ordinated assessment and care for children with complex needs and their families. The introduction of link workers has been central, key contacts for families and professionals alike who are drawn from a wide range of backgrounds. The political imperative for partnership, combined with the commitment and commonality of purpose of front-line staff, has proved sufficient to facilitate inter-professional working without many of the enabling factors that are often regarded as important, such as co-location or parity of status. However, a number of organisational barriers to sustainability remain and the degree to which a strong operational lead can secure the necessary breadth of strategic resource allocation and support remains questionable.