Individual agencies struggled with information sharing long before the focus on multi-agency working made them turn outwards. According to Jean Gross, co-author of the Information Sharing In The Foundation Years report, ‘Anyone who has been involved in the health system will know that doctors sometimes don’t pass information to each other. A local authority commissions both children’s centre workers and social workers and sometimes they don’t share information.’
Aside from this, according to Ms Gross, the early years/health practitioner dynamic can be unequal. ‘Health professionals feel they can’t pass on information to early years,’ she says, while early years practitioners are often happy to pass information on to health practitioners but ‘don’t know they need to ask for parents’ consent first’.
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