What is the Family Common Assessment Framework? The Family Common Assessment Framework (Family CAF) is a new way of working with families. It involves listening to you and your family to find out what you want, what your needs areas well as what is working well in the family life. Along with your worker you will then make an action plan, agreeing who will do what and putting support in place to make sure you and your family set targets and achieve your goals. The Family CAF only works if you want it to! You will always be asked if this is something you want to do. Welcome to a new way of supporting families in Tameside A message for parents and carers: When you and your family need extra support, we want to find the best way forward as soon as possible. This leaflet explains a new way of everyone working together which puts your family at the heart of the decision making and planning which will help you to get the support you need, when you need it. Family Common Assessment Framework

Welcome to a new way of helping families… The key objective of CAF is to coordinate a package of support which empowers families to create solutions that builds on their strengths and enables them to thrive, aspire and achieve. How will the Family CAF help my family? The Family CAF will support your family to access help and support and work out solutions. It can help everyone involved to consider what is going well and where you may want some support. It will help to plan who will do what and when. The Family CAF makes sure that everyone involved with your family works together to support your family. It will help your family receive the right support as soon as possible. As the Family CAF is a common assessment across services, you and your family will not have to repeat the same story to different workers. When is the Family CAF used? The Family CAF is helpful when you or your family feel you need extra support. It will help identify what those needs are and how best to meet them. It aims to improve your family’s situation and help you all to achieve better outcomes. A worker may suggest this to you as a way of helping you to get the right support. How does it work? If you and your family agree, a worker will talk to you to find out what help and support your family might need. They will ask about what is going well and what isn’t going so well. They will talk to the agencies that you and your family are already involved with such as schools, housing and children’s centres etc. They may offer a wider view on the information you share- all of which helps to develop a better understanding of what to do next. This information is recorded on the Family CAF form. You and your family will agree what is put on the form and you will be given a copy of it. It is your family assessment. The views of all family members should be included in the assessment and planning. Older children should be encouraged to discuss their situation on their own with the worker. A young person’s wish is to keep information confidential from parents may be respected by the worker, where this is in the young person’s best interest and welfare. What happens next? Based on the information you and your family provide, all services involved with your family will work together to provide the support you and your family need. The team working around the family will include agencies who are working with you, as well as services that can offer the support you need. The discussions in the meeting will be written down in an action plan and this will be written down in an action plan and this will be reviewed regularly; usually every 6 to 8 weeks. The progress made with the plan and the outcomes of this will be recorded on a review document. Your views on how things are going will also be recorded. This means that everyone is clear how well things are working and if changes need to be made to the plan. Who is the Lead Professional (LP)? If a number of people are providing support to you and your family, one of these people may be appointed as a ‘Lead Professional’. This person will keep you informed, listen to your views and support you. The lead worker will also co-ordinate all the services supporting you and your family. You and your family will have a say in who should be the Lead worker Confidentiality The information you and your family provide will only be shared to help you access the right kind of support and with consent. However there may be times when the people working with you need to share information. For example: When they need to find out urgently if a child is at risk of harm To help a child who is at risk of harm When an adult is at risk of harm To help prevent or detect a serious crime