Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and the Early Help Offer – How this can support your family Barnet CAF Team

 What is the Early Help Offer  The benefit of the Early Help Offer to families  What is a CAF  Who can have a CAF  The CAF Process  The CAF Team Topics Covered

 Barnet’s Early Help Offer identifies the need for help for children and families as soon as problems start to emerge, or when there is a strong likelihood that problems will emerge in the future.  The Early Help Offer is not just for very young children as problems may also emerge at any point throughout childhood and adolescence. The Early Help Offer includes universal and targeted services designed to reduce or prevent specific problems from escalating or becoming entrenched. The Early Help Offer

 multi-disciplinary approach that brings a range of professional skills and expertise together  a relationship with a trusted worker who can coordinate the support needed from other agencies  Empower families to help resolve their own problems  holistic approach that addresses children’s needs in the wider family context  Simple, streamlined referral and assessment processes  Provides continuous support across age groups and for the whole family  Co-ordinated support resulting in maximised opportunities and outcomes for children, young people and families. What does the Early Help offer mean for families?

 Children's Centres  Free Entitlement to Early Education  Early Years Vulnerable Children  Welfare Rights  Common Assessment Framework What makes up the Early Help Offer?

 Common Assessment Framework (CAF)  Assessment of needs  Focus on the child but encompasses the whole family  Below the threshold of Social Care, who assess risk and harm  Team Around the Child (TAC) What is a CAF

When, Who and Why  CAF is voluntary, only with family’s consent  CAF is available to anyone with a child aged 0-18  A CAF cannot run in conjunction with Social Care involvement  There must be specified needs, requiring 2 or more agencies  CAF is beneficial where there are lots of different agencies and professionals involved, a CAF helps to co-ordinate support

The CAF Process  Referral to the CAF Team – from Social Care, Community Services, Parent/Carers via MASH  MASH – Multi-agency Safeguarding Hub  CAF Team and/or MASH confirm consent for a CAF  Lead Professional is identified  CAF Assessment is completed  TAC Reviews the CAF

The Lead Professional  The person who completes the CAF Assessment with you  Community-based person – school, voluntary organisation, children’s centre, health visitor  The go-to person for both family and professionals  Organise the TAC Reviews  Ensure the CAF progresses

The CAF Assessment  Child/Young Person's Development Needs  Parenting Capacity  Family and Environmental Factors  Views of parent/carer, child/young person and the Lead Professional  The Action Plan

The Action Plan  The Needs  The Outcome  The Services  By Who  By When

The Team Around the Child (TAC)  The network of professionals  The Services supporting your family  Attend the CAF Reviews, AKA TAC Reviews  Share information – consent

Confidentiality  Generally only share information to professionals with the family’s consent  All those involved with the TAC  The exceptions: - Risk of harm - Crime-related issues

Services Available  Youth and Family Support Service (YFSS) - Individual Family Support - Parenting Programmes  The Early Years Vulnerable Family (EYVF)  Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)  Targeted Youth Service (TYS)  Any available and appropriate for your family!

The CAF Team  Team Manager and Deputy Manager  CAF Coordinators – Cover the East, Central, West and South of the Borough. Also a Health CAF Coordinator to focus on supporting Health practitioners and a link to a range of health practitioners across the borough.  CAF Social Workers - support practitioners and team to apply thresholds between Early Help and Social Care  Safer Families Practitioners - deal with domestic abuse related referrals via the MASH  CAF Social Work Assistant based within the MASH, who carries out welfare checks, information gathers and signposts families to support

Early Help Module (EHM)  Secure web-based system  All CAFs and CAF Reviews stored safely  It provides a much safer way to share information between agencies and to track the child’s journey.

Useful Contact Details  CAF Duty Number:  MASH Team:  Adult Social Care:  General Council Number/Out of Hours: