Information Sharing and Assessment
Children Services Directory,
Common Assessment Framework
and ContactPoint
Stephen Lees
ContactPoint IT Project Manager
VCFS CYP Reference Group
23rd April 2008
Background
Every Child Matters
• Government Programme for Change
• Improve the lives of Children and Young
People
• Lancashire’s Children and Young People’s
Strategic Partnership
• Integrating Processes and Delivery – ISA
• Children’s Act 2004
Improved Information Sharing and
Management (IISaM)
Multi-Agency
Working
Information
Sharing
Lead
Professional
CAF
… to
make it
happen
eCAF
CCIS
ICS
ContactPoint
“MAKING IT HAPPEN” DCSF/CWDC 2007 ISBN: 978-1-84478-928-3
Lancashire ISA Agenda Structure
ISA Steering Group
Children Services
Directory
CAF/LP
ContactPoint
Change Management Group
ICT
Communications
Joint Operational
Task
Task Group
Group
Area based Multi-agency Reference Group- Practitioners
Services User Groups
Training and
Development
Development
Stakeholder Map
Information Sharing &
Assessment
Children’s Services Directory
(CSD)
Children’s Services Directory
What is the Children’s Services Directory?
• It is a comprehensive online information
bank of all types of children’s and young
people’s services available in a local area.
• Example:
http://www3.lancashire.gov.uk/cyp/csd/
Why is a CSD Necessary?
• Childcare Act 2006 makes it’s a legal
requirement
• Part of the wider Information Sharing Agenda
• Increase Accessibility to information
– Web, Phone, Face to Face
• Provide more comprehensive service
information to customers
• Improve the quality of information provided
• Children’s Trust Arrangements
The future of the CSD?
• Scoping exercise being undertaken by the
Customer Contact Centre, Change Team
• CSD Project Group Evaluation
• Further development
• Ongoing Maintenance
• Accessibility
Common Assessment Framework
(CAF)
and
Lead Professional (LP)
Common Assessment Framework
Definition
CAF is a shared assessment tool for use across all children’s
services in England.
It helps early identification of needs of children and young
people and promotes co-ordinated approach on how those
needs should be met.
What is the CAF process?
The CAF is a process for:
 recognising the signs that a child may have unmet
needs
 developing a child/young person’s centred and holistic
approach to assessment of needs
 recording information using the CAF form and, with
consent, sharing information
 developing appropriate and timely support plans
Lead Professional
Definition
The Lead Professional (LP) is someone who takes the lead
to co-ordinate provision and be a single point of contact
for a child and their family, when a range of services are
involved and an integrated response is required.
Vision and functions of lead professional
Vision: All children and young people with additional
needs who require support from more than one
practitioner should experience a seamless and effective
service in which one practitioner takes a lead role to
ensure that services are co-ordinated, coherent and
achieving intended outcomes
Core Functions
Act as a single
point of contact
for the child or
family
Co-ordinate the
delivery of
actions agreed
by the
practitioners
involved
Reduce overlap
and
inconsistency in
the services
received
Update
• Declaration of Acceptance and
Participation
• Continuum of Need
• CAF Operational Guidance
• Lead Professional Guidance
• Training and Support
• Implementation timetable
Jan
Train the
trainers
Feb
March
April
May
June
July
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Train the
trainers
Level 4- CAF/LP workshops for strategic
Managers
Level 1 CAF/LP awareness
Level 2 CAF for practitioners and
level 3
For Lancaster, West Lancs. and
Rossendale
3 districts
go live
Level 2 CAF for practitioners and level
3
For 6 districts (1st Wyre, South Ribble,
Hynburn
3 districts go
live
Level 2 CAF for practitioners and level 3
For 9 districts (1st, 2nd, Fylde, Ribble Valley, Preston)
3 districts
go live
Level 2 CAF for practitioners and level
3
For 12 districts (1st, 2nd, 3rd Burnley,
Pendle, Chorley)
12
districts
live in
December
2008
Susana Carvalho
CAF Project Manager
01772 536064
[email protected]
Lancashire ECM website
What is ContactPoint?
• The quick way to find out who else is working with the
same child or young person, making it easier to deliver
more coordinated support and improve outcomes for
children.
• It will be available to authorised staff who need it to do
their jobs.
• It will store very basic information for all children living
in England – no case information.
• It will be a national system to enable a more complete
record for a child who accesses services in more than
one local area.
Information held
BASIC
DEMOGRAPHICS
UNIVERSAL
SERVICES
ADDITIONAL
INVOLVEMENT
INDICATORS
Unique Identifier
examples
Youth Worker
CAF
Contact Details
Contact Details
Indicator
Gender
Health Visitor
Social Worker
Lead Professional
Contact Details
Contact Details
Contact Details
Date of Birth
Educ/School
SENCO
Contact Details
Contact Details
School Nurse
Sensitive Service
Child’s Name
General Practice
Address
Contact Details
Contact Details
Parent(s)/Carer(s)
Contact Details
CONTACTPOINT WILL NOT HOLD CASE DATA OR ASSESSMENT
INFORMATION
The Big Picture
Local
Access Controls
Mediated
Access
Web
Access
DWP
NHS
DCSF
ContactPoint
ONS
DATA SUPPLY
Modified
CMS
National
Data matching
No IT
Access
PRACTITIONER ACCESS
DATA SUPPLY
other
Support services
(national and local)
other
150 ‘accountable’ LAs
ContactPoint Benefits
Children, young
people and families
Practitioners
Managers
Able to quickly see
who else is providing
services to a child
Better identification
of children not
receiving universal
services
More timely
response to needs
Reduction in number
of duplicated
referrals
Better management
information –
planning service
delivery
Reduced number of
repeat assessments
and referrals
Reducing time spent
on admin frees up
time to focus on
service delivery
Increased
productivity and
effectiveness
More effective
service delivery
and intervention
ContactPoint Update
• Regulations in force Aug 2007
• Timetable for Implementation
– Early Adopters Sep-Oct 2008
– Lancashire start Feb 2009
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Security Review
Milestones
Latest Local Authority Readiness Assessment (LARA)
CMS Analysis ongoing
Workforce Analysis
Training Strategy
Data Quality Strategy and Plan
Project Brief for Mapping Third
Sector
•
•
•
•
•
•
Help with engagement
One off exercise
Moving it forward/expanding scope
Estimated costs
Incentives
Interested Parties get together?
Further information
• Every Child Matters website - www.ecm.gov.uk
– Latest updates on ContactPoint
– Guidance and training materials for key integrated
working processes
– Good practice on multi-agency working
– Implementation roadmap (covers key IW
processes and tools)
– Latest updates on ICS
– Fact sheets, case studies, Making It Happen
www.lancashire.gov.uk/education/every_child_matters
[email protected]