The Children Act 1989, together with the Guidance and Regulations, makes constant reference to co-operation and consultation. These are seen as embodying different aspects of the principle of partnership. However, as many of the contributions to this book clearly show, the notion of partnership in the daily practice of child welfare and protection is elusive.

As well as describing the various situations and settings in which the concept of partnership appears, this book takes an analytical and critical view. It analyses how the partnership principle is reflected in the law. It critically examines partnership between agencies, between child welfare professionals and children, and, finally, between child welfare professionals and parents. It brings together contributors from a number of different disciplines and partnership is analysed from a variety of theoretical and professional perspectives, including law, social work, psychoanalytic theory and social theory.