Integrating services for disabled children and their families in two English local authorities

Recent critiques challenge the assumption that working in a more integrated way will necessarily improve the quality of services received by children in need and their families. This paper explores the process of service integration for disabled children and their families in two inner city local authorities in England, with particular reference to ways in which history and geography impact. Service users and their carers hold similar ideas about features important in order for integration to be successful –including clear signposts into and through services and reliable and respectful relationships with professionals in the context of inclusive service planning. Professionals concur. They appear to benefit from the establishment of clear processes and boundaries between services, enabling them to build bridges between organizations towards the creation of innovative, integrated services.