This study provides an early, formative assessment of the extent to which early years’ service integration and the IF21M programme has been successful in achieving stated outcomes.

The IF21M programme was developed as a large, multiagency programme aimed to build on the existing work towards service integration by developing a ‘seamless model of care’, beginning in early pregnancy and continuing throughout the first year of life.

The programme funded a number of work-streams:

• Improving ICT access for health staff in Children Centres.
• Improving health rooms in order to meet a minimum set of standards.
• Conducting a review of Islington’s information sharing arrangements.
• Four learning pilots to drive the integration agenda.

Islington has 16 Children Centres organised into 7 Cluster areas. The First 21 Months (IF21M) programme encompasses work with all the centres alongside maternity services, the health visiting service, primary care, and specialist services such as Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and speech and language therapy.