Navigating Complex Systems

Our views are based upon an examination of evidence taken from published cross-national policy studies and international research papers. They also stem from listening to the views of practitioners engaged directly in developing their own professional capacity to understand and apply integrated practice as they work with young children and their families. It is hoped that the chapter will not only inform, but provide an agenda for further study and discussion about professional integrated systems and practice. It therefore attempts to be both instructional and reflective, in that it provides information and also asks questions. It comprises several interconnected parts. The first offers a view of integrated policy and systems drawing on the contemporary discourse, to examine and problematise what is a complex area of study. The second part looks at the implications for those who educate as they implement integrated systems, regulation and policy, and engage in integrated working. The third draws on the views of early educators in England who have been following a course of study that has, at its core, integrated working.