The word 'partnership' is often used to describe the relationship between health and social care providers and service users, but in reality this can appear to be empty rhetoric. Stakeholders may fulfil their obligations and use the language of service user involvement while traditional attitudes and practice remain unchanged.

This inspiring book sets out how to make true partnership work. Built around the stories of real partnerships and written collaboratively with service users groups and individuals, it introduces the concept of 'growing spaces' where people can pool ideas, energy, skills and experience, resulting in joint effort and mutual reward. All the stages of making a partnership work are covered, starting with the growing conditions needed and how to sow the first seeds. Developing 'green shoots', which include confidence and trust, and signs of 'sickness', such as fear of speaking out, are discussed. The grassroots experiences which lay at the heart of the book exhibit an array of different forms of partnership and dispersal of good practice in action.

This unique book will be essential reading for students and practitioners in health and social care, service users, as well as anyone involved in service user involvement and community development.