The Common Assessment Framework

The Common Assessment Framework or CAF is a new way of planning extra help for families that is being rolled out in Brighton & Hove and across the country. The CAF happens whenever someone who works with a child or family thinks they are going to need extra help; specifically help that goes beyond a single issue or involvement with just one service or professional. The aim is to coordinate what is planned and avoid you having to have lots of different assessments and meetings. You have to agree to the CAF and be involved from the start.
If a CAF goes ahead there are three stages:

1. Assessment – you talk to a worker who knows you or your child, they find out more, fill in a CAF form and agree with you whether to go ahead with the CAF.
2. Action plan – you, and the workers who can help, discuss how to support you and your child. This is written up as an action plan and a lead professional is picked to follow it through.
3. Review – you and everyone involved look at how the plan has worked and what comes next.

Keyworkers

If your child has complex needs or multiple disabilities you may be able to get a keyworker who will help your family with the co-ordination of the services they need.

The keyworker will offer information and support, visit or call you regularly (not just when there's a problem), listen to your views and ensure that other professionals are aware of them. They should develop an understanding of your needs and put a Family Service Plan in place to meet as many needs as possible. They will also regularly review progress and how the Family Service Plan is working, then keep all those involved informed of any changes.

There are a small number of designated keyworkers in Brighton & Hove as well as some non-designated keyworkers who contribute time from social care, health and education services. These might include health visitors, school nurses, therapists, social workers or residential workers. You will be assigned a keyworker who can best meet your needs.

You can refer yourself to the keyworker scheme by contacting the Seaside View Child Development Centre on 01273 265825, or ask a professional involved with your family to refer you.

The scheme is being funded by Aiming High up until March 2011, but beyond this date funding is unfortunately not finalised. We'll keep you posted.

Social workers

Access to the kinds of help and support that social services can provide is most often gained via a social worker. Social workers can be a great source of practical and emotional support including:

• providing adaptations and special equipment
• short breaks (respite care), which can be with another family, outreach or residential
• help with filling in forms and getting financial help
• support from family support teams

Many of parents turn down the offer of a social worker when they first discover their child has special needs. They can't see how it is relevant to their situation or they think that social workers only deal with families where there is abuse or neglect, and where children are 'at risk'. Some parents only ask for help when they reach crisis point and feel they can't manage any more.  A lot of parents realise, as they gradually get to know 'the system', that the backing of social workers is essential for getting the help they need.

• Getting help from a social worker
• What happens when the social worker visits?
• Tips for working with social workers

back to top

Getting help from a social worker

By law, social workers have to put at the top of their list families where children are 'in need' (this includes eligible disabled children), 'at risk' or need protection. So, unless you make it clear just how difficult things are, it's possible you may find your request for help falling to the bottom of the pile with a long wait ahead of you. If you need help now, say so, or try to ask for help before you reach crisis point.

Before you meet the social worker, try to think about how your life has changed and become more difficult as a result of caring for your child with special needs, and what kind of help you think you all need, now and in the future.

To get help from a social worker you can

• Contact one of the three area Duty and Family Support teams which take all new referrals about children and families in the East, West and Central areas of the city. They have a duty to make an initial assessment within seven days and, if it is necessary, a more detailed core assessment within 35 days. There are leaflets available which explain this process. If you already have a CAF they'll use this as their starting point.
• Contact the social work team at Seaside View if your child has severe learning and/or a physical difficulty or a moderate learning difficulty with challenging behaviour/mental health issues whose needs can only be met through the input of specialist social work support services.
• If you already have frequent and regular contact with the Alex, Seaside View Child Development Centre or Chailey, you can contact the social work departments there for help from a specialist social worker.

“I think you cope, you don't really ask for help when you're feeling articulate. You usually end up waiting until you're not articulate and everything's gone to pot, and that's when you need these people.”

back to top

What happens when the social worker visits?

On the home visit the social worker will carry out an initial assessment of your child's and your family's needs. You are legally entitled to this if you request it. This 'needs assessment' is taken to the Service Manager and 'Resource Panel', who will decide if you are eligible for support and if the area office can pay for your needs as stated in the assessment, or whether more work is needed to make those decisions.

If your child needs equipment or adaptations to the home, an occupational therapist from the Children & Young People's Trust, will carry out their own specialist assessment. Read more about equipment and adaptations.

There are regulations that require social services to make formal plans for supporting children. This includes producing a care plan which is agreed with the parents, a placement agreement and systems for monitoring your child's welfare. In reality, social services struggle to achieve these requirements and in practice, you need to keep an eye on what is happening yourself.

back to top

Tips for working with social workers

• Just because you get a 'no' this time, don't take that as their final answer. You can have more luck if you ask at the beginning of the financial year (April) rather than later when all the money's been spent. And even if you get a 'no' now, don't be afraid to ask again as your needs and your child's needs change.
• Find out what other parents have got, and how they managed it. Inside knowledge can be very useful.
• Get other people on your side - your GP, consultant, health visitor - get them to write letters for you, explaining what you need and how much you need it.
• It's important to build up a good relationship with your GP and social worker as you go along, so that when you are desperate they already know who you are and what you and your child's problems are.

For more detailed advice about working with professionals see the Survival Strategies section of this website.

However, if you're not happy about the way things are going in your contact with social workers, do not be afraid to say so. Challenging decisions or making a complaint can be stressful, but unfortunately it is sometimes necessary. Amaze and other organisations may be able to help.