Book excerpt: Changing Children's Services examines the fundamental changes that children's services have been undergoing in the United Kingdom in the context of the drive toward increasingly integrated ways of working. The contributors critically examine the potential and realities of closer integration and ask whether these new ways of working are truly more effective in responding to the needs and aspirations of children and their families. They also explore the experiences of working in constantly changing environments and their effects on practitioners and clients. This fully updated second edition offers a new introduction with a helpful overview of current key issues and new case studies to illustrate the realities of practice today.