We all want better lives for children and young people. Most children do well. Some don’t do quite so well but don’t get help until things are really bad.

The Common Assessment (CAF) is a framework for practitioners to enable us to assess children and young people’s needs at an earlier stage, before they reach crisis point. It allows us to help them earlier and respond to their needs more efficiently and effectively, thus preventing a worsening situation for a family.

The CAF can help you identify what the needs are and when you are not sure it will help you to make your decision. The Continuum of Need (Windscreen Model) will assist you in deciding if completing a CAF would help a family. The form provides a structure for recording information that you have learnt from a child, a young person or a family. It will also provided some evidence of need and because this concern is recorded, it will assist with getting other services to help.

What?
It is a framework for helping practitioners assess children’s additional needs earlier and more effectively, develop a common understanding of those needs and agree a process or working together to meet those needs.

When?
It is used when needs are not clear or are not being met. CAF may be appropriate to be used before or in conjunction with specialist assessments to help practitioners understand and articulate the full range of needs.

Who?
Potentially, anyone who is working with children and young people but most likely those from universal or preventative services, who have undergone some training.

How?
There is a standard form for recording the information. There is also a common process, which includes four key steps: identification of need; preparation; discussion and delivery.

CAF overall is a PREVENTATIVE way of working with children, young people and their families to AVERT a worsening situation and SAFEGUARD them from harm.

It helps practitioners to put in place a package of SUPPORT by working TOGETHER to meet their needs – earlier and more effectively.

This Integrated Working Practice Toolkit has been produced to provide practitioners with a useful set of tools to support:

• multi-agency working
• identifying the needs of a child, young person and family
• the process for carrying out a Common Assessment
• Thresholds guidance
• Information Sharing and Assessment

The Toolkit is a guide to be used by all Practitioners to assess, plan, and review the holistic needs of all children and young people (0 – 19) to meet the five outcomes of Every Child Matters:

• Be healthy
• Stay safe
• Enjoy and achieve
• Make a positive contribution
• Achieve economic wellbeing

Follow the links at the top of this page to find out more. You can also download a copy of the full toolkit here ( 622kb).