Date: 12-09-2018

NEWS - INTESYS: How can we accomplish more together? - Part 7

We know that well-implemented integrated systems help professionals meet the needs of children and their families. Yet, it can still be challenging to motivate change and the progress toward effective systems can be slow. Enter the INTESYS project. 

The INTESYS consortium is developing a package of tools and approaches to integrate early childhood services. These tools can be used in different contexts throughout Europe. It aims to help practitioners, managers and policymakers accomplish more while keeping the child at the center of their services.

During the project, pilots have established new approaches that allow services across sectors to align and work together, especially for the benefit of the most vulnerable children. But, what do those involved in the pilots have to say about the project? We asked a focus group comprised of representatives of a Belgian pilot, to what extent has the INTESYS project facilitated cooperation between services? Find out what they had to say below:

'While all partners do believe in the added value of cooperation and actively want to contribute to that, the road to more integrated working can be quite bumpy in reality. Sometimes progress is made, other times you get stuck in reverse. It has become quite clear that cooperation and integration needs strong leadership, a driving force to keep partners motivated. You need clear communication lines and to make sure that what is shared is understood by all in the same way. All partners need to know what their role is and who is responsible for what. We also need to make sure what the expectations are.'


Still not sure what Integrated Systems for early childhood services are? Be sure to brush-up on what the term means through our series of INTESYS interviews.

Download the INTESYS Toolkit here!