Integrating Services for Children and Families: Understanding the Past to Shape the Future

In this comprehensive synthesis of the history, theory, and practice of services integration, Sharon Lynn Kagan, with Peter R. Neville, explores why past efforts to reform the human services system have had only isolated triumphs and marginal impact in improving the quality of life for children and families. Tracing the history of human services in America from the colonial period to the present, Kagan analyzes the underlying assumptions, barriers, and strategies that have characterized the services integration movement and offers new directions for future social service reform.