Few reforms have captured the imagination and excitement that surrounds the notion of coordinated services for children. Numerous attempts are under way nationwide to change a fragmented system of services for children into more effective sets of partnerships. However, service organizations do not make partnerships easily, due to a number of issues ranging from autonomy to funding concerns. This article examines some basic assumptions and questions surrounding knowledge dissemination and utilization in the service coordination arena, seeking to draw facilitation strategies from a series of ongoing projects in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis. The authors also draw heavily on a body of emerging theory and inquiry known as "the new institutionalism."
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