This report, ‘Making It Real’ sets out the findings of a pilot initiative between the Improvement and Development Agency and the Aston Centre for Voluntary Action Research as part of the Partnership Improvement Programme. It examines how local authorities and the community sector are building their capacity to make partnership working more effective and developing a model to find better ways for creating sustainable cross-sector relationships.The report highlights important lessons from the pilot for both policy makers and practitioners, including examples of conditions that if met can help foster effective cross sector partnership working. It concludes with an evaluation of the pilot and an outline of the 2006/09 programme that will build on the experience and lessons of the pilot, to continue to develop a collaborative approach to partnership improvement.

The report is available at: http://www.idea-knowledge.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=5145516