4.3 Common Assessment Framework

Contents

1. The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and the Lead Professional (LP)
2. What is the CAF?
3. What are the benefits of the CAF?
4. How does it relate to specialist assessments?
5. What is the Lead Professional
6. Who should be the Lead Professional?
7. What are the benefits?
8. How will CAF and LP be implemented in Milton Keynes?
9. .What is eCAF?
10. How will eCAF be developed?

1. The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and the Lead Professional (LP)

The CAF and LP role are key components in the Every Child Matters: Change for Children programme and must be embedded across agencies by the end of 2008. The aim of the programme is to ensure that every child receives the universal services to which they are entitled and any additional services they need at the earliest opportunity.

2. What is the CAF?

The CAF provides a process to assess the additional needs of a child or young person and to give a holistic view that considers strengths as well as needs. Practitioners will then be better placed to agree, with the child and family, what support is appropriate. It consists of:

• a simple pre-assessment checklist to help practitioners identify children who would benefit from a common assessment
• a process for undertaking a common assessment, to help practitioners gather and understand information about the needs and strengths of the child, based on discussions with the child, their family and other practitioners as appropriate
• a standard form to help practitioners record, and, where appropriate, share with others, the findings from the assessment in terms that are helpful in working with the family to find a response to unmet needs.

3. What are the benefits of the CAF?

The CAF provides an easy to use assessment that is common across services. It will help embed a shared language; support better understanding and communications amongst practitioners; reduce the number and duration of different assessments that historically some children and young people have undergone; facilitate early intervention and speed up service delivery.

4. How does it relate to specialist assessments?

The CAF will help to identify whether a specialist assessment is necessary, and avoid duplication by building on accurate up-to-date information. The CAF will replace the assessment elements of the Connexions Assessment, Planning, Implementation and Review (APIR) Framework. Where there is a need for an immediate specialist assessment, the CAF will not delay that process.

5. What is a Lead Professional?

Lead professionals work with children and young people with additional (including complex) needs who require an integrated package of support from more than one practitioner

The lead professional is not a new role. Instead, they deliver three core functions as part of their work:

• act as a single point of contact for the child or family
• co-ordinate the delivery of the actions agreed
• reduce overlap and inconsistency in the services received

A lead professional is accountable to their home agency for their delivery of the lead professional functions. They are not responsible or accountable for the actions of others.

6. Who should be the Lead Professional?

The role of lead professional can be taken on by many different types of practitioners in the children's workforce as the skills, competence and knowledge required to carry out the role are similar regardless of professional background or job. The role is defined by the functions and skills, rather than by particular professional or practitioner groupings.

What skills and knowledge are required in a lead professional? Lead professionals need the knowledge, competence and confidence to:

• develop a successful and productive relationship with the child and family, and communicate without jargon
• organise meetings and discussions with different practitioners
• use the Common Assessment Framework and develop support plans based on the outcomes
• co-ordinate the delivery of effective early intervention work and ongoing support
• work in partnership with other practitioners to deliver the support plan

7. What are the benefits?

All children and young people who require integrated support from more than one practitioner should experience a seamless and effective service. This is delivered most effectively when one practitioner - a lead professional - takes a lead role to ensure that front-line services are co-ordinated, coherent and achieving intended outcomes. Evidence from practice suggests that the introduction of a lead professional role is central to effective frontline delivery of integrated children's services. It ensures that professional involvement is optimised, co-ordinated and communicated effectively. Most importantly, it provides a better experience for children, young people and families involved with a range of agencies.

8. How will CAF and the LP be implemented in Milton Keynes?

Here in Milton Keynes we have been using CAF in relation to the Vulnerable Children's Panel. The Vulnerable Children's Panel is a pilot service that that works with agencies to identify needs presented by children, young people and their families, and to co-ordinate agencies to work together to achieve positive outcomes for people in Milton Keynes. The Vulnerable Children's Panel develop support plans and review progress to ensure positive outcomes with the aim of avoiding the need for crisis intervention whilst enabling and empowering families. The Vulnerable Children's Panel currently take referrals via CAF for children and young people from pre-birth to 18 years who live in the Radcliffe Liaison area. They also take referrals Milton Keynes wide for children and young people considered at risk of anti-social behaviour by Thames Valley Police. There is a full time panel manager, Kirsty Brice (who can be contacted on 0707908 255569) and three CAF Co-ordinators.

9. What is eCAF?

Practitioners from different sectors will need to generate, store, access and share CAF forms for each child with whom they are working. The e-enablement of CAF (eCAF) is an important step in providing these facilities. Common standards will enable consistent implementation across local areas. They will also ensure compatibility with the forthcoming ContactPoint and other information technology projects within the Every Child Matters: Change for Children programme.

10. How will eCAF be developed?

An independent assessment recommended a dedicated national IT system as the most cost-effective solution for eCAF implementation. To assess costs, benefits and feasibility of a nationally consistent IT approach, and how best to achieve it, the Department for Children, Schools & Families is supporting five pilots to develop fully functional eCAF systems to national standards. The pilots will also rigorously test the eCAF document set, enabling refinements and improvements to be made based on their experiences. The evaluation of the pilots is expected in the summer of this year and will inform local development and implementation.

End