Positive aspects of multiagency work identified by the respondents included: a shared concern over the poor quality of existing arrangements; a shared vision for a better response to victims; sharing a broader view of the victim; and having experience with, and commitment to, multiagency work. Continuing challenges that were noted include: sustained multiagency participation; diverse agency cultures; competing agendas and priorities across agencies and systems; funding and staffing issues; and future responsibility for, and ownership of, the Sexual Assault Referral Center (SARC). The research shows the importance of the voluntary sector in driving the development of the Sexual Assault Referral Center (SARC) in Britain forward and taking the initial lead and ownership of the project. This research documents the incredible challenge of multiagency work, but also the remarkable rewards that are possible; only time will tell whether these challenges can be overcome. The current policy climate in Britain requires that agencies work together to improve their performance and provide a better service to clients, especially in recent initiatives designed to improve the services afforded to victims of crime. However, unique issues arise from multiagency partnerships dealing with sexual violence, as well as the interface of criminal justice and health as a relatively new and unusual phenomenon. Despite the importance of multiagency partnership work, there has been relatively little research which addresses the process by which types of interventions such as SARCs are set up, the challenges facing those working to develop SARCs in their areas, and the various barriers present which impinge on productive multiagency partnerships that are vital to the success of SARCs. For this study, interviews with 15 professionals working together to develop a SARC were conducted to address this gap. Notes and references