E-enablement of the Common Assessment Framework

The national eCAF system: Fact Sheet (August 2008)

The national eCAF system: Frequently Asked Questions and Answers (Release 1 - February 2008)

The national eCAF system: Frequently Asked Questions and Answers (Release 2 - August 2008)

On 25 July 2007, the Government announced that it would provide assistance to front-line professionals in children's services by implementing a single national IT system to support the Common Assessment Framework (CAF). The national eCAF system is the e-enablement of CAF.

The national eCAF system

The national eCAF system will allow a practitioner to electronically create, store and share a CAF securely. It will give practitioners from different sectors, who are approved and trained to use the system, appropriate access to key information concerning the assessment. This will allow them to participate in the delivery of the most appropriate services. In order to gain access to the CAF, practitioners will need explicit consent from the young person who is the subject of the CAF and/or, where appropriate, their parents or carers.

Benefits of a national eCAF system

The national eCAF system will be made available to all organisations working with children. We strongly recommend that the system is taken up by as many organisations as possible in order to maximise the benefits of a national approach.

eCAF progress to date

The DCSF eCAF project team continues to work closely with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure that developments are relevant and lead to more effective practice. We are also working closely with colleagues delivering other Every Child Matters initiatives such as ContactPoint and the Integrated Children's System.

Practitioner input is vital to ensuring the successful design of the eCAF system. From the outset, practitioners were involved in the original design and procedures of the CAF and made recommendations for appropriate IT support. The national eCAF system User Group was established to bring together key stakeholders from across the eCAF user base.

The national eCAF system will be deployed in a phased approach and the DCSF will be working with an eCAF Early Adopters Group to help shape the overall implementation approach.

The DCSF is currently engaged in the procurement process for national eCAF. It is the Department's intention to secure a supplier to design, build and host the national eCAF system by this autumn, and for the system to begin to be deployed during the latter half of 2009. 

The national eCAF system: project milestones

The eCAF Project Team is working to the following proposed delivery dates:

• aim to sign a contract with a supplier for a national eCAF system by the end of autumn 2008
• development and testing of the system is expected to take approximately a year
• aim to start implementation of the national eCAF system in the latter half of 2009.

Contact the eCAF Project Team

The eCAF Project Team can be contacted directly via the email address: eCAF.admin@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk.