This article seeks to challenge understandings of partnership in order to reframe the discussion of common problems of partnership working. The very term partnership has become so common as to have no clear meaning beyond being a `nice' alternative to long tried and tested forms of governance. Yet failing to understand the complexities that are inherent in the very nature of partnership poses serious dilemmas for those engaged in such schemes. Addressing the key dilemmas identified in studies of a number of regeneration partnerships, this article suggests the need to understand the dynamics of partnerships in the context of extant forms of governance. In so doing, it suggests the possibility of overcoming old dilemmas, if only to confront new ones.

International migration has a consistently high profile within national and international politics with increased focus on measurement and quantification of migrant numbers, impact on services and contribution to local, regional and national economies. However, the absence of consistency within definitions, categorisations and measurement of international migration and migrant populations create challenges and barriers to both understanding the needs of migrant communities but also the provision of adequate services within specific geographical areas. This paper will present findings from a project designed to map the impact of migration on a settled community within a Local Authority (LA) in the North East of England. As the project encountered routine inconsistencies around definitions, categorisations and measurement of migration within the LA area, this paper demonstrates the complexity of trying to 'measure' migration on the ground and while consistency in measurement is key to accurate data, we conclude with an ethical question about the rationale for collecting data on migrant populations.

Deindustrialisation wrought socio-economic and cultural change throughout the UK, WesternEurope and the USA. Within some deindustrialised zones, multiple indices of deprivation rise significantly which presents complex and interrelated social problems including poverty, unemployment, poor quality private rented housing, complex physical and mental health problems, and crime. The austerity agenda further exacerbates these problems, cuts local support services, and further entrenches the myriad issues embedded in post-industrial communities. This paper draws on a funded research project in a deindustrialised town in the North East of England designed to measure the impact of migration on the settled community.The project found advantages to inward migration alongside increased community tension where poor neighbourhoods yet to recover from long-term deindustrialisation saw a rapid increase of international migrants. These tensions represent competition for scarce resources amongst the fragmented multi-ethnic working class trying to get by in areas of 'permanent recession'.

The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that:• a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.Please consult the full DRO policy for further details.

The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that:• a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. Design/methodology/approachAn in-depth study, over a two-year period, of a number of training programmes combining participant observation and qualitative directed data collection. FindingsWorkers need to be sensitive to young people's previous educational experiences and social context while encouraging participation in education-based work. Personal problems had to be addressed if progress towards the target of education, employment or training was to be achieved. Effective programmes rely upon the front-line workers but the systems of accountability cannot consider developmental work and the significance of young people's immediate context. The role of training programmes needs to be understood within the wider socio-economic context. 2 Research limitations/implicationsThe study of a small number of training programmes so it is not possible to generalise from the findings. A limitation of the paper is that the ethical, moral and practical implications of the study are not explored. Practical implicationsThis paper aimed to communicate and extend understanding of the complexity involved in the delivery of training programmes for young people. Originality/value of paperProviding practitioners working in training settings with an account of the work which may address some of the criticisms often levelled at this area. It has potential value to inform policy implementation and the recording of outcomes in the area of youth training.