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Strategic partnerships have a key role to play in delivering the government's 'Every Child Matters' agenda. There is a developing body of research and other evidence and practice‐informed literature about what works in relation to partnership working. Drawing on a research review commissioned by Barnardos on strategic partnership working for children, this study summarises research findings from a number of sectors relating to the development, delivery and review of effective partnerships. Although there is widespread consensus within the research on the factors contributing to effective partnership processes, there is, currently, relatively little evidence that partnerships lead to positive outcomes for children and young people. © 2006 The Author(s). Journal compilation © National Children's Bureau.

This article considers recent developments in information and communication technologies (ICTs), including the creation of a so-called 'information superhighway', and examines their relevance to the enhancement of democratic politics. The article begins with a brief overview of what is meant by the 'information superhighway' and what is distinctive about the technologies that comprise it. It then considers the characteristics of democracy and the ways in which information and communication technologies can contribute to their enhancement. It concludes by arguing that ICTs can contribute to democratic processes provided that a number of issues are addressed and barriers overcome.

The idea of social auditing has attracted considerable interest in recent years. This paper outlines a model of a social audit that has at its heart the concept of social needs as both a basis for policy formulation and a criterion for policy evaluation. The author presents the arguments in favour of regular social audits, describes the processes involved in conducting a social audit and, finally, outlines a practical example of an audit of health and welfare needs. While the auditing of social needs is not without its difficulties, the author concludes that, nevertheless, it is a vital component in the policy process.

Begins with consideration of what a community profile is, explores the different reasons why community profiles are undertaken, and offers tips for planning research. This book looks at methods for collecting, storing and analyzing data, and ways of involving the community. It concludes with a chapter on ensuring your profile has impact

English
Social capital is increasingly regarded by politicians, policy makers and theoreticians as an antidote to a range of social ills and its absence as a cause of those same ills. Originating in Bourdieu and popularised by Putnam, much is claimed for social capital. However, there is little agreement on what social capital is, where it comes from, how it can be measured and, if it is a 'good thing', how we can get more of it. This article reviews the main schools of thought relating to social capital, summarises what is being claimed for it and then sketches out a research agenda to address the unresolved issues surrounding this attractive but elusive concept.

Joined up governance has emerged as one of the key policy discourses of the modernisation of local government under New Labour. Community strategies are one of the principal policy tools that are intended to deliver more joined up governance at the local level. This paper draws upon early findings from the national formative evaluation of community strategies to consider the extent to which community strategies are delivering more joined up governance in practice. The paper concludes by highlighting a number of tensions in the role of community strategies in delivering a more joined up local agenda. Adapted from the source document.