Senior Project Manager - Jo Olsson, Deputy Director of Children Services (020 8496 3206)
Project Manager – Jan Davies (020 8496 3682)
Project Manager - Darren Good (020 8496 3671)
e-mail: janice.davies@walthamforest.gov.uk or darren.good@walthamforest.gov.uk
The Integrated Working Project has responsibility for the implementation of the systems and processes necessary to support integrated working under “Every Child Matters”. This means developing ways in which all agencies providing services for children and young people can work more closely together and co-ordinate their activities.
Integrated Working guidance
- CAF review form (33KB Word file)
- CAF definitions guide, April 2006 (77KB PDF file)
- CAF flowchart
- CAF form (205KB Word file)
- Continuum of needs and services (154KB Word file)
- Information sharing flowchart (29KB Word file)
- Integrated working guidance, March 2008 (1.3MB PDF file)
- Multi agency referral form (34KB Word file)
- Pre-assessment checklist (62KB Word file)
- Request for assessment SEN referral form (46KB Word file)
- SCS referral guidance (148KB Word file)
- SCS referral form (117KB Word file)
Common Assessment Framework and Lead Professional Role
The Common Assessment Framework (CAF)
The Common Assessment Framework is a standard national approach to assessment to be used by all services working with children and young people. It is intended to focus on what the child or young person needs, rather than on what the service can offer.
Not all children and young people will need to have an assessment, but those who have additional needs can be identified at an earlier stage, i.e. before they or their families reach crisis point. If help is offered when difficulties first arise it can prevent the need for more intensive action at a later stage.
As everyone in Children Services will be using the same forms, it will be easier to share information and co-ordinate services provided. This will help avoid the need for children, young people and their families to keep repeating the same information and be assessed over and over again.
The Lead Professional Role
Some children and young people will need help from more than one agency. Where this is the case, a lead professional will be appointed and will work with others to co-ordinate the services provided.
The role of the lead professional is to be:
- A first point of contact for the child, family and other professionals
- Co-ordinate the delivery of services provided, for example, by combining different appointments where possible to minimise disruption to families’ lives
- Reduce any inconsistency and / or overlap between services
Where we’re at in Waltham Forest
Since April 2006, we have piloted the use of CAF in a range of services across twenty settings in Waltham Forest. The pilot schemes have included children’s centres, primary and secondary schools, voluntary sector services, the youth service and paediatric services at Whipps Cross Hospital (list of CAF pilot schemes 2007 (15KB PDF file).
Monitoring and evaluation of the pilots is carried out through a combination of monitoring forms and regular support meetings. An evaluation of the pilot schemes has now been completed, a summary of which is available on request.
Next steps
A comprehensive training programme is now underway, covering the following elements of integrated working:
- Information sharing and the common assessment framework
- Lead professional role
- Managing integrated working
For more information about the training programme and details of how to book a place.
The government expects all children’s services to have a Common Assessment Framework in place by March 2008.
Some of these documents are in PDF format . To view them you may need to download a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader.
