Two significant findings emerged from this report. First, probation staff at all levels developed many formal partnership working arrangements during a relatively short time when there were numerous competing demands for probation services. Second, requirements developed by Home Office officials and others were successful in providing a developmental framework and encouraged services to take action. Recommendations for future action include the following: (1) Probation committees should ensure that, by April 1997, partnership plans are integrated into their local service plans; (2) Partnership agreements should identify expected outcomes and contain information to assess outcomes; (3) Partnership data should be compatible with service computerized information systems; and (4) Probation committees should require detailed information in order to consider the value for money which specific partnership programs offer. Notes, appendix, glossary