[senco-forum] Common Assessment Framework

I agree with Jeff's perspective - that completing a CAF should not be 
necessary simply because the child has been identified as having special 
educational needs.  I'd go further and suggest that promotion of blanket use 
of the CAF for pupils at SA+ is muddle-headed and shows a poor understanding 
of its purpose.  (As a device for discouraging schools from maintaining high 
numbers of children at SA+, however, it may be a stroke of genius.)

The CAF is only intended for use where the child (and family) has additional 
needs which require extra support to help them achieve the five key outcomes 
of the Every Child Matters agenda.

Perhaps this fact might be drawn to the attention of your LA, and / or the 
CAF trainers...

Biff Crabbe

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill Graham" <williamgraham at blueyonder.co.uk>
To: "senco-forum" <senco-forum at lists.becta.org.uk>
Sent: Saturday, December 01, 2007 12:44 PM
Subject: [senco-forum] Common Assessment Framework

I've just been on my CAF training (along with head of pastoral and person 
i/c LAC & CP) I got really frustrated when one of the trainers said that the 
local authority was thinking that if any pupil was SA+ then a CAF needed to 
be drawn up! I can understand this if there is more than one agency involved 
but just to call in a SENSS person or just the EP or school nurse for that 
matter it sounds ridiculous. I'm inundated with paperwork already and to 
create more has made me angry as well as the time involved.!

I spoke to my head who totally agrees with me and also asked me to find out 
what other authorities are doing. So, my question is what is everyone else 
doing?

My other problem is creating a CAF - we have to inform a LA person of our 
intentions and I'm a little uncomfortable about this. It got me thinking if 
it was one of my own children and how I personally would feel if for eg 
she/he needed to see an EP or SENSS to get a SplLD asessment done and then 
perhaps needed a hearing assessment - if what I was told is correct then a 
CAF would be needed. How much more data will be collected and stored on 
unsuspecting individuals?

Lorraine

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