A major theme running through networks and partnership working is that of information sharing. The community of practice needs to adopt a framework of lifelong research, learning and sharing. These three roles actually overlap (see Dexter, 2003), as shown below:

The sharing may be through teaching, or through other methods for information-sharing. These include written communications, through publications (books, pamphlets, professional magazines, bulletins, journals, on-line papers) and/ or verbal communications (seminars, conferences, interviews). The advantage of the written form lies in the permanence and the wider dissemination. The key advantages of verbal communications are the immediacy and personalised delivery of the message. A combination of both is ideal. The means of communication needs to be carefully considered and active searches for the most appropriate forum undertaken. Some funding bodies will specifically provide a platform for showcasing work or ask for details of how the partners in a specific project are going to share their findings.

The community of practice needs access to the wide range of information available. This is one of the reasons for the development of the National Guidance Research Forum and this website. Internet search engines and traditional library sources are useful starting points in any search for information regarding work undertaken by others. Information management skills are crucial in finding, sifting and making sense of such information.