Improving partnerships to improve outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities

Qualitative findings from a mixed methods systematic review

Bibliographic Data

ID22162658
AuthorsNatalie Tyldesley‐marshall (0000-0002-0576-3459, University of Warwick), Natalie Tyldesley-Marshall, Rebecca Johnson (0000-0002-2847-8298, University of Warwick), Janette Parr (0000-0002-0629-1596, University of Warwick), Anna Brown (0000-0001-6119-7925, University of Warwick), Iman Ghosh (0000-0002-7073-7468, University of Warwick), Amin Mehrabian (0000-0002-8879-7565, University of Warwick), Yi Fan Chen (0000-0002-9446-2761, University of Warwick), Amy Grove (0000-0002-8027-7274, University of Warwick, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume10
Publication date2025-02-19
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2504-284X • E-ISSN: 2504-284X
PublisherFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/feduc.2025.1513668
OpenAlexW4407744243
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited34

Background Effective collaboration between different services is recommended by government policy for children and young people (CYP) with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) across many countries. In the UK, despite significant shifts in policy towards partnership working, there remains a scarcity of scientific evidence on how this should be achieved. This mixed methods systematic review examined interventions leading to improved service outcomes for multiagency working for CYP with SEND. Method Eleven databases generated a total of 7,473 results. Data from 137 selected studies were analysed. However, only qualitative research findings from thematic synthesis regarding key ingredients of effective partnership are reported. Results From these, five key ingredients for effective partnership working in SEND services were identified: (1) participation, and legitimacy to participate in a partnership; (2) personalisation and consultation with children, young people, and their families in designing and delivering services; (3) respectful communication, and feeling that involvement is valued; (4) preparation to be an effective member of a partnership; and (5) working across professional and organisational boundaries. Conclusion and implications To facilitate practical application of the findings, three exemplar cases of effective partnership are explored. A framework to support partnership design, collaboration, and the development of evidence-based recommendations, is presented. Systematic review registration The study protocol for this study was registered in PROSPERO CRD42022352194

Medical education · Multimethodology · Pedagogy · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Special education · Special Educational Needs · Special needs · Child and Adolescent Health · Computer Science · Disability Education and Employment · Family and Disability Support Research · Medicine · Psychology

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