Targeted youth support: Common Assessment Framework pilot is formalising and standardising existing support and referral processes

Wandsworth launched a CAF pilot in September 2005. Over 200 assessments have been carried out to date. The CAF is formalising and standardising existing support and referral processes including prioritisation of need and delivery across the borough. This has removed reliance on informal personal networks and has encouraged effective multi-agency working, improving service delivery for children and families. It provides consistent and accurate client information, includes positive statements in assessments and results in agreed and informed conclusions and solutions that improve outcomes for children, young people and their families.

Background

The first phase of the CAF pilot focused on primary school age children. One part was tied in with the authority's Every Child Matters pilot, which involved six schools in an education action zone (accessing all services for children). The other part of the pilot covered 14 children's fund primary schools (primarily accessing children's fund services). In February 2006 the pilot was extended to include 11-18-year-old young people living and/or studying in the Battersea area.

Assessments

Over 200 assessments have been undertaken to date (July 2006). Learning mentors or SENCOs have completed most of the assessments for the younger age group. A lead professional is agreed when more than two agencies are involved in supporting a child.

A multi-agency panel reviews each assessment. For the younger children the panel includes representatives from schools, social services, junior youth inclusion programme, Imani (domestic violence/ parental support), the school nurse service, speech and language services, child and adolescent mental health service, education psychology and education welfare service. For the older group the panel includes representatives from the prevention service (integrated youth service), education welfare service, Connexions (IYS), child and adolescent mental health service, social services, the school nurse service, housing, schools and the youth offending team (IYS).

Training

Training and support has been key part of the pilot. Over 60 frontline workers were trained in the summer of 2005 and a comparable number so far in 2006. Training includes:

• One day learning about the CAF, multi-agency working and information sharing delivered in multi-agency settings for assessors, multi-agency panel members and those receiving common assessments as referrals
  
  
• One day assessment training - how to carry out the assessment, including how best to ask young people and their families difficult questions
  
  
• Informal sessions as required, eg CAF awareness, IT, general buy-in and support

Further support for frontline staff comes from cluster and central co-ordinators. A secure CAF website enables practitioners to record the assessment, actions and make referrals online. A multi-agency panel may be given access to review assessments on line on a need to know basis within agreed consent parameters. This provides timely access and speeds up regular support reviews and helps to identify and address additional requirements.

Benefits

The CAF has improved the existing support and referral process and analysis in the borough including prioritisation of need and service delivery. It has enabled the client information on the assessment to be shared effectively with other services thereby improving targeted and tailored service delivery and ultimately outcomes for children and their families. It includes positive statements in assessments and results in agreed and informed conclusions and solutions (this includes the 'signs of well-being' model based on brief solutions focused therapy).

The success of the pilot can be divided into rational, political and emotional benefits.

Rational benefits include:

• Faster referral (swift and easy)
  
  
• System issues are dealt with
  
  
• Centralised administration system
  
  
• Consistent training
  
  
• The CAF form is not age related
  
  
• The CAF website
  
  
• Actions are visible
  
  
• Referrals are visible on the system, including accepting and declining

Political benefits include:

• Developing strong links between schools and social services and other services
  
  
• More effective referral to all services rather than just social services
  
  
• The multi-agency panels have all the key people represented on them

Emotional benefits include:

• Training and support has achieved buy-in from the practitioners
  
  
• The CAF requires practitioners to make the assessment child and young person focused eg. carrying out the assessment at a location chosen by the young person
  
  
• It helps agencies move into multi-agency mindset
  
  
• Open and transparent information an assessment is agreed and signed by all parties and a copy is given to the young people and their parents
  
  
• Young people and parents see tangible action

Challenges

Challenges for the future include:

• Ensuring the multi-agency team is small enough to be efficient and large enough to be representative
  
  
• Change can be challenging
  
  
• Providing needs based services for all including those potentially hidden from services, moving away from a single agency approach to multi-agency working
  
  
• Satisfying expectations of all agencies of all the benefits of CAF
  
  
• Capacity for assessment - more children are being holistically assessed. Need to see benefits in outcomes
  
  
• Funding - ensuring that funding constraints are not holding back the service provision changes needed 
  
  
• Linking with other initiatives - extended school, TYST, children's centres, on-going developments in NHS, ICS (integrated children's system in social services)

Click to read more good practice case studies related to the targeted youth support change process.