Common Assessment Framework (CAF)
The Common Assessment Framework (
CAF
) is a key part of
delivering front line services that are integrated and focused
around the needs of children and young people. It is a key
component of the Every Child Matters: Change for Children
Programme. The aim is to identify, at the earliest opportunity, a
child or young person’s additional needs which are not being met by
the universal services they are receiving, and to provide timely
and co-ordinated support to meet those needs.
The
CAF
form is
a standardised tool used to conduct an assessment of a child or
young person’s additional needs and helps practitioners to decide
how those needs should be met. It is used by practitioners across
children’s services in England.
The 3 Stages of CAF
- Practitioners can use a simple pre-
CAF
checklist to
help them identify whether a particular child or young person
would benefit from a common assessment.
- Practitioners use a standard form to gather and understand
information about the needs and strengths of the child – based on
discussions with the child or young person, their family and other
practitioners as appropriate.
- The
CAF
enables different agencies working with the same child or young
person to have a co-ordinated and joined up approach and
facilitates the provision of a multi agency action plan designed to
meet the child or young persons needs. A lead professional will
need to be identified to take responsibility for co ordination of
the actions identified and to act as a single point of contact
for the family.
CAF Procedures
Cheshire East is following the
CAF
Guidance set
out in the documents published in March 2010 by The Children's
Workforce Development Council.
For Cheshire East practitioners, these should be used in
conjunction with the CAF
Process Flowchart (PDF, 162KB).
North West CAF Group Cross Border Protocol
On occasions there are cross-border
issues with
CAF
involvement, e.g. a child or young person lives in Cheshire East
but needs are identified by a service in another authority are, or
vice versa.
In these situations the assessment
should be logged in the area where the child lives and the
North West Protocol (PDF, 32.3KB) should be followed.
