Mindsets and mechanisms: Making integration work in youth support services

The research found that by and large local services shared a common vision of integration and that integration has increased and strengthened partnership (although it is acknowledged that successful partnerships pre-dated the establishment of integrated services in many areas). The most common approach to integration was the creation of locality based teams which were felt to have led to an improvement in both service delivery and outcomes for young people. 

The findings come from two sources. Two online surveys of senior managers were carried out in 2010 and 2011 to gather quantitative data on structures and changes in service provision. The first survey achieved a high response rate, but the level of response to the second was much lower. These surveys were accompanied by case studies based on interviews and focus groups with managers, staff and elected members in seven local authorities, intended to gain an insight into their views and experiences of integration. 

The report, Mindsets and mechanisms: Making integration work in youth support services, is available free from http://www.cfbt.com/evidenceforeducation from the 6th of September