Nursery World - A Unique Child: Integrated Review

Where there is cause for concern, the Integrated Review is an ideal chance to communicate it clearly, taking in the different perspectives of parents, health and early years practitioners. By Kay Mathieson

The idea of an Integrated Review, with health and early years practitioners working closely together and sharing information about the child’s development and progress, is still quite new in most local authorities. Many pilot programmes and trial approaches have highlighted both the challenges and advantages of integrated working. My sense, as I meet with colleagues around England, is that closer working between health and early years is increasingly a very positive experience with major gains for children and their families.

In the pilot areas, memories fade quickly about any initial struggles to really understand each other’s perspective and finding a common understanding of children’s progress. Practice generally moves quickly, as practitioners get to know each other, from focusing on the problems to creating solutions. Innovative ways of responding to parental needs and concerns are explored, including flexibility with timings and different venues for review meetings.

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