This practical and accessible key text examines the nature and impact of collaboration between different professional and voluntary groups working together to deliver services. The first section explores partnership in terms of language, politics, diversity, user perspectives, rurality and ethics. In section two, carefully selected authors draw upon their expertise to raise key questions, and use case studies to demonstrate the challenges of working in partnership in areas where collaboration is a crucial to effective practice, this includes: child protection; drug using parents; dementia; travelling families; domestic violence; learning difficulties; homelessness; mentally disordered offenders; HIV and AIDS; and, disaffected youth, and older people.This book is recommended reading for managers, practitioners and students from a variety of human service agencies - it will provide good understanding into issues, pitfalls and best practice to work effectively in partnership with other agencies. A must read for anyone about to develop or join a multi agency partnership. Contributors include: Althea Allison; John Bates; Liz Blyth; Julian Buchanan; Ros Carnwell; Alex Carson; Pat Chambers; Michael Clark; Brian Corby; Jacquie Evans; Ian Iles; David Jolley; Thoby Miller; Amir Minhas; Virginia Minogue; Neil Moreland; Lester Parrott; Judith Phillips; Richard Pugh; Kate Read; Angela Roberts; Debbie Williams; Ruth Wilson; and, Ruth Wyner.