Agency vs constraint: the role of external agencies in interprofessional engagement

One of the challenges facing professionals engaged in interagency working is developing the skills required for the practical application of collaborative working. A review of interagency work by Atkinson et al. (2002) identified different forms of collaborative working ranging from shared meetings, geographically located teams to interagency teams working together to deliver services. However, factors such as level of communication between professionals, funding and resources, understanding roles and responsibilities, professional and agency cultures were all cited as difficulties within interagency working (Atkinson et al., 2002). Furthermore, Milbourne et al. (2003) argued that policy approaches set by government departments do not support the diverse models of collaboration that are needed to support professionals working on the ground, suggesting that external factors may also impact on effective collaboration.