Introduction

The interview extracts in Chapter Six highlight the joining together of information (akin to assembling a jigsaw puzzle) and explore how presumptions about ‘full’ pictures frame actions by professionals within different organisational settings. Relationships are central for these processes to work effectively, and it is relationships to which this chapter now turns. Relationships among professionals tasked with sharing information to safeguard children are on the one hand mandatory, and are very much viewed in inter-professional terms. Lines of accountability and obligation are written down in national and local policy documents. For example, policy guidance such as the Working together publications tells us that relationships between professionals is a fundamental tenet for safeguarding children, building a ‘full’ picture of children's lives. Performing information-related tasks to protect and promote the welfare of children becomes a very difficult pursuit if ‘good’ working relationships are not established. I am sure that all professionals, in whatever field, will unequivocally agree with this. However, only considering relationships between professionals within their organisational roles is far too simplistic. I beg to suggest that while relationships between professionals are clearly important, perhaps more fundamental is understanding the relationship professionals have with information that is shared by other professionals, if we are to truly understand multi-agency information-sharing practices in context. Information relationships focus on when and how information is, can and should be connected. I would argue resolutely that understanding professional relationships with information is crucial to establishing how matters can get missed or de-prioritised, and remain unconnected (meaning that the relationship with information is not achieved). Issues in information sharing, coupled with understanding relationships (which are not generally considered in child welfare literature but which this chapter addresses) go some way to explaining how it is that calls for better information-sharing practices are not wholly resolved by improving multi-professional working through actions such as, training and bringing people together, to discuss a case in the same room. This chapter will thus explore relationships in the context of safeguarding children, but essentially it seeks to chart new conceptual ground by drawing into sharp focus information relationships rather than relationships between people (embodied relationships). This is not to deny that relationships between people influence both the mandatory activity of sharing information and the task of assembling a ‘full picture’.