1. The Evolution of Regulation Comprehensive Area Assessment for local services
27 September 2007
Chief Fire and Rescue Officers’ Association Autumn Conference

2. Context The success of CPA in supporting improvement
Audit Commission’s 2006 papers on the future of regulation
The local government white paper
The Commission’s duties under the Fire & Rescue Services Act
New National Framework from 2008

3. A vision for Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA)
To help drive more effective improvement of local public services for citizens, especially those in need, CAA will need to be:
Relevant to the quality of life of local people
Area and outcome focused
Constructive and forward looking
Joint and participative

4. Comprehensive Area Assessment
The new approach means CAA will look more at:
Areas rather than organisations
But we will report back on individual AIBs
Appropriate assurance for the fire and rescue service
Risks to future delivery more than performance in the past
Outcomes for communities and in particular, those most in need, rather than outputs/process
Local priorities as well as national targets

6. Risk Assessment – key questions?
How well does the LSP:
Understand and assess the needs of its communities, now and in the future?
Use this understanding to inform its local priorities?
Organise itself and ensure it has the capacity to deliver these priorities?
Ensure effective arrangements to identify and manage the risks to achieving priority outcomes?

7. Challenges Forward looking Reducing inspection, but widening the scope
Greater consistency across the sector/s
Ensuring the quality of data
Providing assurance on the capability of the fire and rescue service

8. Opportunities More sophisticated regulation
Forward looking and preventative
Outcome and area focus
Greater integration
Less duplication
More consistency
More involvement of stakeholders
Sector led self-assessment and improvement

9. Milestones
Significant discussion and consultation programme throughout.
Comprehensive Spending Review (Autumn 07)
Working with other regulators to publish joint consultation document (Winter 07)
New Local Area Agreements from April 2008
Pilot projects (Autumn 07 – Summer 08)
Further consultation (Autumn / Winter 08)
Publish framework (Early 09)
CAA begins in 2009/10