Partnership is viewed as a key to improvement in identifying and responding to shared priorities and performance and in ensuring that all organizations that provide local services have a deep understanding of what really matters to users, the public and those who deliver the services.

In relation to Partnership Working:

• To what extent do partners seek to stimulate discussion on public services and wider community priorities?
• Do partners develop their own functions to support the wider aims including engagement with other partnerships and operationally focused thematic partnerships?
• Do partnerships share information and intelligence in relation to  priorities and put this as a core activity?
• Do agencies look to the partnership to tackle jointly, shared problems?