Common Assessment Framework (CAF)

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WHAT'S NEW

• Kingston's Out of Borough arrangements for CAF and information sharing - new guidance (updated Sept 08)
• Quick link to Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and Lead Professional (LP) documents including ASKK Signposting to Services form
  (updated Sept 08)
  

  
  

Information for Parents

When your child needs extra support, we want to find the best way forward as soon as possible.

If you agree, a worker you feel comfortable with, like your child's teacher or health visitor will ask you and your child some questions to find out what help and support your child might need. The information is recorded on a simple form (called the Common Assessment Framework or CAF for short). You and your child agree what is put on the form, and you will be given a copy of it. Older children may feel able to discuss their situation on their own with the worker.

Based on the information you and your child provide, all those who can help your child will work together to provide the support your child needs. Only workers who need to know about your child will have information shared with them.

To get help talk to a teacher, health visitor or other professional working with you or your child or contact Advancing Services for Kingston Kinds (ASKK) on 020 8547 5888.

Information for Professionals

The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) is a standardised approach to assessing children and young people’s needs and deciding how they should be met. It aims to help everyone whose work brings us into contact with children and families to identify children with additional needs and intervene much earlier to help them. The CAF is intended to be simple to use and is geared towards the practical delivery of support to children and young people.

The CAF is a key element of our strategy to delivering more effective early intervention and prevention and is a tool for the identification and initial assessment of children and young people considered to be in need of additional support . In the Borough this is most likely to be the case when a child or young person is identified as having additional needs at level 3. The CAF will help practitioners to consider key indicators of need, identify and assess any risks or protective factors, specify desired outcomes and identify key services.

Once completed the CAF will serves as a useful way to share information and to track and review a child or young person’s progress. At the point a CAF is completed by a practitioner they are also encouraged to consider and identify any future likely or predictable difficulties a child may face, for example the transition to secondary school. Although such an event may lie some months or even years into the future for that child it can be logged by Advancing Services for Kingston Kinds (ASKK) and will create a prompt / milestone for future preventative support. Kingston Council's CAF Form should be used by practitioners in all agencies who work with unborn babies, babies, children, young people and their families and have been trained in its use. See Training Programme for Professionals.

Completing the CAF will help to:

• Gather information about a child, young person and their family. It will also help identify any other professionals already working with the child or young person.  
• Consider the information; identify the risks and protective factors which in turn will help you to assess the additional needs of the child or young person.
• Make recommendations about how best to improve outcomes for a child or young person both through your own service and where appropriate from others.
• Facilitate earlier and better joint working with the parent or carer before a child or young person’s needs escalate.
• Improve the outcomes for a child or young person where current intervention and support processes are not working.

Address concerns about a child or young person’s well-being that are related to issues beyond your service / support.

The CAF does not replace Local Safeguarding Children's Board (LSCB) procedures. If at any time you feel a child or young person is at risk of harm you should immediately refer your concerns to the Safeguarding Service 020 8547 6587.

Before you start the assessment process, please contact ASKK to check whether a Common Assessment Framework (CAF) has already been completed and logged by another professional. All CAF activity must be logged with ASKK Service. This is essential to ensure that only one CAF is in existence for a child/young person at any one time.

Following completion of the CAF, ASKK will log the agreed outcome and if required will assist in the faciliation of a meeting to coordinate  multi-agency package of support.

Any practitioner who needs help to decide whether to complete a CAF should contact ASKK or the CAF helpline below.

Contact us

ASKK

Telephone: 020 8547 5888
Email: askk@rbk.kingston.gov.uk

CAF Helpline

Telephone: 020 8547 6232
Email: cafcoordinator@rbk.kingston.gov.uk