The Common Assessment Framework - better known as CAF, is a new standard format for carrying out an assessment of a child or young person’s additional needs and deciding how those needs should be met. It can be used by anyone providing services to children in in England.
The CAF has been developed as part of the Every Child Matters programme: it is seen as "a key part of delivering front-line services that are integrated and focused around the needs of children and young people".
The CAF will promote more effective, earlier identification of additional needs, particularly in "universal services" (e.g. things which are available to everyone: schools, health services). It is intended to provide a simple way for anyone who is involved in supporting a child to raise issues and communicate with other workers and agencies who are also involved. Practitioners will then be better placed to agree, with the child and family, about what support is appropriate.
For voluntary and community sector organisations it’s a means of flagging up a wider view of the needs of the child or young person taking account of the role of parents, carers, housing, neighbourhood and other factors which have an impact. By having a common form across all agencies, there is a way for information to be shared between those providing support and so help them to work together.
Members of the CAF team came along to the Child and Family Support Forum meeting in September 2008 to give an update and discuss the implications of CAF for voluntary and community sector organisations.
Resources
All information including tool-kits, guidance, fact sheets and training packages for integrated working are located on the Every Child Matters website: CAF homepage.
This includes a number of standard forms which are used in the CAF process - the two main ones are (click to download and view them):
• 2006 Common Assessment Framework Pre-assessment Checklist
• 2006 Common Assessment Framework Form
• Common Assessment Framework Guidance
• The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) A Toolkit
A CAF training programme is being rolled out in Manchester by the CAF team aimed at practitioners and managers within all agencies - including the voluntary and community sector. To find out further details, visit: www.manchester.gov.uk/mcaf or contact the CAF team (see below).
The following report details the early stages of putting CAF into practice - 2006 Woodhouse Park Common Assessment Framework Pilot Evaluation.
Contact
CAF Project Manager: Rosemary Braithwaite - [email protected] - 0161 234 7549