The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) is a key element of Every Child Matters providing a common method of needs evaluation across all services for children and families.
Common Assessment will help:
- The early identification of needs
- The co-ordinated provision of services
- Avoid the need for multiple assessments
- Reduce the need for children or their families to re-tell their story to different agencies
By the end of 2008, everyone who works with, children, young people and their families will have received appropriate training regarding the Framework.
- For some this will mean knowing when a Common Assessment would be useful and who within their team or agency will be able to complete one.
- For others it will mean being able to complete the assessment, identify actions that can be carried out within their own organisation or team and contacting other agencies, if needed, to meet other needs.
- There will be also be those who will need to know what is expected of them when they receive a request for support via a Common Assessment.
Once Common Assessment is fully in use, it is expected that most will be undertaken or arranged by “universal” services such children’s centres, schools or in health settings.
Common Assessment will be a tool to help identify those children with “additional needs” before they escalate into more serious concerns. “Additional needs” are defined as which need targeted support within universal settings. This might include situations where there are issues with;
- disruptive or anti-social behaviour
- involvement in or risk of offending
- overt parental conflict or lack of parental support/boundaries;
- poor attendance or exclusion from school/disengagement from education, training
- bullying
- special educational needs
- disability
- employment post-16
- poor nutrition and ill-health;
- substance misuse;
- anxiety or depression
- housing
- Pregnancy and parenthood.
Common Assessment will not be appropriate for the majority of children as they will make satisfactory progress with the support of universal services. Nor will it be appropriate in situations where an immediate statutory or specialist assessment is the most appropriate way to determine the support required.