Common Assessment Framework (CAF)
When your child needs extra support, we want to find the best way forward as soon as possible.
Contact: Alison Prowle or Kelly Butler on 01495 355635.
Check out the Team Around the Child (TAC) web site, which is linked from our main index page, or click here
Overview of the Common Assessment Framework
The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) is a new way of working to enable children and young people to achieve their full potential.
It requires those working with children and young people to think differently, record differently and work in a joined up way to support children and young people.
The aim is to identify, at the earliest opportunity, a child’s or young person’s additional needs which are not being met by the universal services they are receiving, and provide timely and co-ordinated support to meet those needs.
What is a CAF?
It has three elements:
- a simple pre-assessment checklist to help staff identify children or young people who would benefit from a common assessment. This process also helps identify any safeguarding issues.
- a process for undertaking a common assessment, to help staff 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 staff 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.
The CAF is developed collaboratively with all agencies working with the child and young person.
CAF elements and domains
The CAF has been developed by combining the underlying model of the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families, with the main factors used in other assessment frameworks. The sections of the CAF framework have been grouped into three themes.
Child’s Developmental Needs
· Health
· Education
· Emotional and behavioural development
· Identity
· Family and social relationships
· Social presentation
· Self-care skills
Parenting Capacity
· Basic care
· Ensuring safety
· Emotional warmth
· Stimulation
· Guidance and boundaries
· Stability
Family and Environmental Factors
· Family history and functioning
· Wider family
· Housing
· Employment
· Income
· Family’s social integration
· Community resources
The Role of the Key Worker
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 key worker - takes a lead role to ensure that front-line services are co-ordinated, coherent and achieving intended outcomes.
The key worker 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 key worker is accountable to their home agency for their delivery of the key worker functions. They are not responsible or accountable for the actions of others.
Who will key worker work with?
Key workers work with children and young people with additional needs who require an integrated package of support from more than one practitioner.
How is the key worker identified?
A key worker is identified from among the group of practitioners working with the child, young person or family. They are chosen through a process of discussion and agreement between those practitioners who are involved.
Identifying a key worker should be informed by the following considerations:
- What are the predominant needs of the child or family?
- Which agency has main responsibility for addressing the child or family's needs, including statutory responsibility?
- Does anyone have a previous or potential ongoing relationship with the child or young person?
- Does anyone have an ongoing responsibility to carry out an advocacy role for the child or young person?
- Who has the skills and knowledge to provide a leadership and coordinating role in relation to other practitioners involved with the child, young person or family?
- Who has an understanding of the surrounding support systems that are available to manage and sustain this?
- Who has capacity to take on the role?
Who should be the key worker?
The role of key worker 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. Families could have a say in who could act as a key worker.
NB: As the needs to the child change so could the key worker
The ‘Team Around the Child’
What is the ‘Team Around the Child’?
The ‘Team Around the Child’ is a process for co-ordinating support services for children and young people with additional needs following a CAF assessment.
How do we know the ‘Team Around the Child’ works?
Projects like ‘Team Around the Child’ have been operating in areas in Wales over the past few years. Children and young people and their families, as well as those who work with them – teachers, health visitors, counsellors, youth workers, etc., have found generally that it is a better way of doing things. Outcomes have improved for children and young people, and agencies have found the process useful in improving service delivery.
The Aim of the Team Around The Child
The ‘Team Around the Child’ is a process that aims:
- To help children to grow up happy, healthy and successful
- To co-ordinate extra support
- To help people working in services to share information properly about a child and to work together well
- To encourage everyone working with children and young people to use the same system if extra help is needed (same forms, same kind of meeting)
- To work closely with children and young people and their families, making sure that they have a say in all decisions that affect them.
Who is involved in the ‘Team Around the Child’?
Anyone who works or volunteers to work with children and young people in Blaenau Gwent will be involved in the ‘Team Around the Child’.
This means, for example:
- the schools, youth clubs, childminders, playgroups, the Youth Offending Service and those who work in play and in leisure centres
- anyone who works with children and young people for the Health Trust like health visitors, school nurses, mental health workers
- the Police, Careers Wales and the Job Centre
- people working in voluntary organisations, i.e. Barnardo’s, NSPCC and Action for Children
- people who work in community groups, such as, Communities First Partnership.
How will the ‘Team Around the Child’ be developed?
The ‘Team Around the Child’ will be designed to meet the individual needs of the child or young person.
The key worker will identify appropriate membership for the ‘Team Around the Child’ in order to deliver the identified outcomes in the CAF support plan. The key worker will then co-ordinate the work of the ‘Team Around the Child’ and act as the main point of contact for the family.
NB: All ‘Team Around the Child’ members will be given responsibility for the delivery of specific actions/support within the CAF support plan.