Comprehensive Area Assessment

Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) will be delivered from April 2009 and will reflect the new era of public sector partnership working. This new assessment framework will provide a snapshot of how effectively local partnerships are working together to deliver local people's priorities.

CAA has been developed and will be delivered jointly by the main public sector inspectorates. The partner inspectorates are:

• Audit Commission 
• Healthcare Commission 
• HM Inspectorate of Constabulary 
• HM Inspectorate of Prisons 
• HM Inspectorate of Probation  
• Ofsted  

CAA looks at how well local services are working together to improve the quality of life for local people. It will make straightforward independent information available to people about their local services, helping them make informed choices and influence decisions.

• It is about people and places
• It will give people a snapshot of life in their local area each year
• It will help local services improve quality of life in their area
• It will help people understand if they are getting value for money from their local services

Combining the perspectives of the seven partner inspectorates, CAA will provide a joint assessment of outcomes for people in an area and a forward look at prospects for sustainable improvement.

For the first time, local public services will be held collectively to account for their impact on better outcomes. This means that CAA will look across councils, health bodies, police forces, fire and rescue services and others responsible for local public services, which are increasingly expected to work in partnership to tackle the challenges facing their communities.

CAA will focus on highlighting barriers to improvement and identifying success and innovation from which others can learn. In this way CAA will be:

• a catalyst for better local outcomes, more responsive services and better value for money
• a source of independent information and assurance for citizens, service users and taxpayers
• an independent evidence base for central government on progress against national priorities

and

• a means of rationalising and coordinating inspection.

CAA will look most at what matters locally. The issues assessed in each area will reflect local priorities for improving quality of life and protecting people at most risk of disadvantage. It may cover issues such as:

• improving access to healthcare
• increasing the availability of affordable housing
• reducing the fear of crime
• improving educational achievement
• attracting investment or
• reducing the area's carbon footprint.

Other service or organisation specific assessments will continue. For example, health and police services will still be assessed by their respective inspectorates for those services that they are solely responsible for, but these will be developed alongside CAA to avoid any duplication. Schools, colleges, social housing and residential care homes will also continue to be inspected to check they meet required standards.