Transcript Children and Young People’s Plan 2009 – 2011: Action Plan

EARLY HELP FOR VULNERABLE
CHILDREN
The CAF and Beyond
Tuesday 2nd July 2013
Localised changes to the CAF Form
Delivered by: Gill Downton, CAF Manager
The CAF is NOT simply a FORM to fill in!
It is a 4 step PROCESS which is supported by a standard form
The process includes: 
A consent based holistic assessment focussing
on needs and strengths

Team Around the Child (TAC) meetings & an
identified a Lead Professional

The delivery of a multi-agency action plan
instead of several uncoordinated single agency
plans

A review process
Benefits
> Early intervention
> Improved joint working
> Much clearer information about family situations – a
structure under which to gather that information
> Parent/carer engagement & empowerment
> Parent/carer and/or Young Person given a voice
> A multiagency plan instead of several service specific
plans – reducing overlap & providing common goals
and shared responsibility
> Engagement of agencies
> Preserved history – a picture built up over time
> Myth blowing assumptions about who is involved and
doing what
New CAF Form Explained

Reduced from 9 pages to 6

Covers the same three areas as the original form i.e.
Development of the child; Parent and carers; Family
and environment but with less boxes to fill in!

You can add more than one child to the form so that
it can be used as a family CAF

The Form is a PDF - the boxes do not expand
instead the text shrinks

The Form can be downloaded from the Bromley
Safeguarding Board Website with immediate effect
New CAF Form
New CAF Form
cont.
If including more
than one child/YP
add a sentence or
two under each
heading per child/YP
What Makes a Good Assessment
- QUALITY OF INFORMATION…

Clear explanation as to what has triggered the
CAF (reason for assessment)

Evidence – informed by fact and by attributing
information e.g. who said what or observed
what

Qualify frequency/ duration, not ‘often’ or
‘sometimes’

Set the scene well – comment on all 3 domains.
Note something in every box – do not put N/A
or no comments as this has no meaning

Enough detail but not too much; avoid jargon/
acronyms
What Makes a Good Assessment?
- ACTION PLANNING

Set a clear plan of action: with dates & who is
responsible for delivery

Ensure any actions are achievable and
solution focussed

Set a review date and review on a minimum of
a 3 monthly basis
Review, Review, Review!!
CAF Review and TAC minute template
Leaflet for parent/carers
(can be printed on A4 or A5)
New Leaflet for practitioners – A Brief Guide
to the CAF in Bromley
The CAF Team in Bromley
Gill Downton – CAF Manager
Andrea Bennett – Education Welfare Officer (3 days)
Richard Madden – CAF Social Worker
Anisha Patel – CAF Social Worker
Kayleigh Shaw – Administrator
Contact Details: Bromley Central Library, 3rd Floor, High
Street, Bromley. BR1 1EX
Tel: 020 8461 7174
Fax: 020 8466 0587
Role of the CAF Team
The CAF Team (currently 4.6 FTE inc Manager and
Administrator) is responsible for: 
providing appropriate training, support, advice and
information to practitioners using the framework;

offering a chairing facility for complex ‘Team Around
the Child’ meetings;

the management of Information Systems relating to
CAF including a central depository for all CAFs;

monitoring and auditing CAF implementation &
progress within Bromley.
Contact Details: Bromley Central Library, 3rd Floor, High
Street, Bromley. BR1 1EX
Tel: 020 8461 7174
Fax: 020 8466 0587
Free Training Opportunities

Half day CAF training

Chairing Effective TAC Meetings

Refresher Training
(All administered by the Safeguarding
Board)

On request briefings and personalised
training within individual settings
Reminders

Contact the CAF Team at any stage for advice
or guidance

Log that you are completing a CAF with the
CAF Team and send a copy to the Team once
completed

Update the CAF Team with changes i.e. to LP

Bromley Safeguarding Children Board (info re
CAF Training, electronic version of the CAF
Form and the Review and TAC min template)
http://www.bromleysafeguarding.org/