Diana Children's Community Service and service co-ordination

The Diana Service and the multi-agency service co-ordination project in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland were established to address the needs of children with complex needs. The Mary Seacole Research Centre at De Montfort University in Leicester evaluated the services over a period of approximately 1 year.

Predominantly qualitative methods were used. Different approaches to sampling were employed and in both cases a range of data collection tools were utilized, e.g. written questionnaires, personal face-to-face interviews, focus group, non-participant observation and information from professional records.

The findings suggest that both services are making a considerable contribution towards ensuring that effective collaboration within and between services occurs. This makes a real difference to the lives of children and families.