Letter from Kath Tunstall
Dear Service Managers, Head Teachers and Chairs of School Governors,
Re: ‘Going Live’ with the CAF Process and Progressing Integrated Working Arrangements.
Further to the letter that you received dated 19th June keeping you informed of developments with CAF and integrated working. It has now been decided that CAF will ‘Go Live’ across the Bradford district from 2nd July.
Enclosed with this letter is the key documentation for practitioners and managers to support implementation of the CAF process. We are also sending this to all those who have received the CAF Practitioners training.
As part of this implementation we need to draw your attention to the decision of the Children’s and Young People’s Strategic Executive that all practitioners participating in the CAF process are required to have an enhanced CRB check. An audit by the Workforce Development Strategy Group indicates that staff in the majority of children’s agencies in Bradford currently have enhanced CRB checks. This is also a statutory requirement for all personnel that access ContactPoint when it is implemented in 2008. The Integrated Working Team will keep the list of CAF practitioners with enhanced CRB checks.
You will be kept informed of the results of ongoing consultation and decisions regarding integrated working including the clustering of schools and Children’s Centres within the 5 Constituencies following the recent consultation.
“Going Live” means that your practitioners can now carry out CAFs. There is support available through a central “Help Desk”, and a dedicated email and phone line with the Integrated Working Team. A practice support forum will be encouraged in each Constituency supported by your CAF Champions.
Actions Checklist
- Identify the practitioners from your organisation with an enhanced CRB check that will be participating in the CAF process and inform CAF Administration.
- Arrange for all practitioners who will potentially participate in the CAF process to have priority in your arrangements for processing enhanced CRB Checks.
- Ensure that they have received CAF Practitioner Training or that they are booked on to a future training session – if you haven’t received dates please contact CAF Administration.
- Identify the manager in your organisation/school responsible for ensuring administrative support for the process and the supervision and support of practitioners engaged in the CAF process.
- This manager will need copies of the support documentation that comes with this letter and also to download the CAF Pre-Assessment Checklist and the CAF form from the DfES website as Word or PDF files.
- Discuss with your management team how the CAF process can be incorporated into your current procedures for identifying vulnerable children and young people within your organisation.
- All current multi-agency arrangements and meetings are now utilised to support practitioners to implement the CAF process and to meet the basic requirements of “Integrated Working Guidance – CAF Practice”.
We are aware that some managers and Head Teachers were unable to attend the series of Manager Training sessions. If you consider that attending one of these would be helpful please contact CAF Administration so they can organise some additional sessions.
Yours faithfully
Kath Tunstall
Strategic Director
Services to Children and Young People
29 June 2007
