Early Help
Including
•Common Assessment for Families
•Early Help Forums
•Integrated Working Procedures
(‘Thresholds and Pathways’)
2012/13 Review of CAF
Summer 2012
• We asked what you like and what needs to change
with the CAF
• You said you wanted an assessment framework that
was:
–
–
–
–
–
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Streamlined and flexible
Supporting earlier intervention
A tool that can be used internally by a single agency
A family assessment
Person Centred
Supporting risk assessment and measuring distance travelled
and
– Had increased accountability (for initiating assessments and
attending/contributing to meetings
2012/13 Review of CAF
• Autumn – we designed a new assessment, action
plan and review form
• January and February 2013– we asked whether it
did what you wanted it to do:
– Would you use the CAFF assessment in its current
form for multi-agency working? 90% YES
– Would you consider replacing existing ‘single agency’
internal assessment processes with the CAFF
assessment? – 78% YES
– 70% replied that it was good or excellent for each of
the abilities you wanted it to have
Feedback from Ofsted
• Too few CAF assessments
– The number of common assessments (CAF) completed is low
and falling, particularly in schools with few health
professionals or commissioned services initiating assessments
• Assessments not good and lacking a focus on risk
– Too many assessments are of poor quality and characterised
by a lack of robust analysis with a focus on actual or potential
risk.
• Action planning a weakness
– The quality of CAF assessments seen varies from good to
poor, with action planning a common weakness, a limited
focus on measureable outcomes, and insufficient
consideration of equality and diversity issues
• Where was the voice of the child?
– In common assessments (CAF) seen by inspectors, it was
rarely clear that children and young people have been
consulted or involved as their views were not well
documented.
Responses to Ofsted criticisms
• Assessments not good and lacking a focus on risk
– The IWP will include guidance on risk assessment and details
on pathways to Targeted Prevention). The new CAFF will
have a tool to enable effective risk assessment in the CAFF
process and to enable challenge
• Action planning a weakness
– The new CAFF form promotes a focus on desired outcomes in
the assessment and on the action plan
• Where was the voice of the child?
– The new CAFF assessment will be a family assessment with
sections for each child
– CAF Coordinators will be looking for evidence of the child’s
involvement and reporting on it
– There is an existing “Involving Children and Young People
Toolkit”
• Too few CAF assessments
– The new CAFF assessment has been designed to meet the
needs of those who should use it and the children, young
people and families with whom they work.
Where next?
• New CAFF and updated IWP (Thresholds and
Pathways’) under consultation
• Approval in July
• Launched September
• Present training includes January version of CAFF
to be used as a pilot by participants
– Early Assessment Process & Common Assessment for
Families (CAFF) Form
– Effective Holistic Assessment
– Engaging Families in Early Intervention
– Integrated Working M4 Managing a Team Around the
Family (TAF) Meeting
http://www.lgss.co.uk/Services/traininganddevelopment/Pages/trainingc
ourses.aspx?tu=11
Early Help Forums
• Have a core NCC membership and partners
attending
• Provide social care oversight and guidance
• Discuss, and find solutions for, cases requiring
support at Levels 2 and 3 – incl. anonymous
discussion for those with no consent
• Receive, interpret and act upon reports of local
need in the area
• 10 meetings occurring monthly in localities
• Can make referrals to Targeted Prevention Teams
• Co-ordinated by the CAF team and the Targeted
Prevention (TP) team
How are Early Help Forums different?
• Early Help Forum data will be monitored,
analysed and reported
– Attendance by team
– Number of cases discussed and resolved
– Feedback from those requesting discussion and (if
possible) parents
• “Thank you for that discussion. It was really
helpful. There was nothing like this in my
previous authority.” (Head Teacher
following discussion at Wellingborough Early
Help Forum)
How does Early Help, help? – Case study
• SENCO of a small rural school a few miles outside of
Daventry initiates her first ever CAF
• Advised by the CAFCO to bring the case to Daventry EHF
and she has attended the last two
• She has found the EHF process invaluable - providing her
with support, advice and resources that she otherwise
would not have access to
• At most recent EHF another Daventry junior school that
was present offered to meet with this SENCO of the rural
school to provide further additional 1:1 advice, resources
and support
• They have now met once and will continue to meet. The
SENCO delighted with the support being offered by this
larger Daventry school and no longer feels alone with
dealing with what is a tricky situation as well as being
extremely grateful for all of the advice she has received at
the last two Forums meetings
CAF Coordinators
Daventry and South Northants
• Laura Russell
Kettering and Corby
• Jo Roberts
Northampton
• Jackie Donegal
• Paula Smith
Wellingborough and East Northants
• Louise Goss
• Jodie Low
Recruitment under way for new post