What is multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working?
Multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working describes the practice of professionals working together from different professional backgrounds and organisations to provide assessment and support for individuals and families.
Key features
- People from different backgrounds work together to meet the needs of a child or young person.
- Workers share up-to-date information and coordinate services with the agreement of the child or young person and their family and carers.
- The focus is on early prevention and intervention to improve outcomes for children and families.
- Information is shared in accordance with safeguarding children and human rights legislation.
Why is multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working important?
The following are some of the benefits of multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working:
- It provides a more comprehensive assessment of a child or young person's needs. By working together, professionals from different backgrounds can get a more complete picture of a child or young person's needs and strengths, and how these may be affected by their family, school, and community. This can lead to more effective and appropriate support being provided.
- It helps to identify and address problems at an early stage. By sharing information and working together, professionals can identify potential problems early on and take action to prevent them from escalating. This can make a big difference to the child or young person's life and reduce the need for more intensive intervention later on.
- It ensures that children and young people receive the right support at the right time. By working together, professionals can make sure that children and young people receive the services and support they need, when they need them. This can help to improve outcomes for children and young people and reduce the likelihood of them experiencing problems in later life.
- It promotes a more joined-up approach to service provision. By working together, professionals can reduce duplication and fragmentation of services, and make sure that children and young people receive a seamless and integrated service. This can improve the experience of children and young people and their families, and make it easier for them to access the support they need.
- It facilitates the sharing of good practice and expertise. By working together, professionals can learn from each other and share good practice and expertise. This can help to improve the quality of services for children and young people, and ensure that they are based on the latest evidence and research.
- It promotes collaborative problem solving. Professionals should focus on understanding the situation from the perspective of the individual and their family and then explore how their particular agency or service might be able to contribute towards addressing the concerns or desired outcomes. Multi-agency and multi-disciplinary work depends upon the development and maintenance of good working relationships based upon mutual trust and respect.