CAF

[APassionateWoman]

SEN specialist woman from the LEA wants our permission to start up a CAF for our DS. Whats the deal with this? Is it a good idea or nay?

I have had experience of writing CAFs for older children known to SS, but not sure how/if a CAF is appropriate for our child (AS, not known to SS, in mainstream ed).

Depends if you want something out of it. I had a CAF done after last summer holidays as I was desperate for some help. Didn;t take too long, and DS2 now has 6 hours a week (holiday time only) respite, and this allows me to take my other two DC out an do something with them. So far it has been a positive experience, but a little bit draining filling the form out and then speaking to SS.

Thanks 5inthebed.

DS is already getting near enough full time 1:1 support under School Action + and is currently being assessed i order to secure a statement (fingers crossed) so that this can continue.

I guess I'm just wondering what a CAF will bring to the table?

Completed CAF about a month ago and have been told by Senco that behaviour support will go into school and that DS can have counselling for 'trauma' caused by previous school. Not been given any idea of when we get this though so am chasing this up at the moment. Was offered as a 'special one-off' a family support worker but declined this as the problems are mainly at school and if they sorted those out we wouldn't get the stress at home!

Oh and we were told that CAF had to be completed to enable us to access any outside support.

Interesting, thanks@Pouffe.

I am trying to second guess what the LEA woman thinks a CAF will achieve, I suppose. We have already been assigned a Family Support Worker (she dropped off DS's 'case' a long time ago because his needs became so severe). He is already seeong all sorts of professionals - Paed, CAMHS, SALT, OT, Ed Psych coming in finally next week.

Any other experiences? All very helpful, thank you.

(I will get a chance to ask the LEA woman in three weeks time when we meet, but would like to have made an informed decision by then, based on my own research).

We're going through the CAF process now. My ds has a large number of health professionals and I'm expecting the CAF to force them to sit around the table and communicate with each other and come up with a better care plan than we currently have. I am also expecting it to deal with transition to school and getting a medical care package into school and any additional funding required to be identified and acted on.

I've got to the point with my ds that I just can't do everything that everyone is asking me to do with him and look after my dd. The result is that dd isn't getting her needs met even though she has no abnormal needs (but I'm now struggling to get her bathed on a regular basis, do her homework with her etc) and ds needs aren't being fully met either. I'm hoping that some of the extra stuff like SALT etc can move from the home to school which would free up 30mins a day just there and make life soooo much easier.

So I think the CAF is meant to identify these gaps and work out a way to fill them.

Sounds good in theory@rebl.

I am doing a huge amount of collating of evidence and lobbying on my son's behalf at the moment. It is almost a full time job (not joking - I have appointments with various HPs on four consecutive days next week and because we have been so badly burned in the past by the fecklessness of the LEA/certain HPs, every meeting means I have to type up detailed notes afterwards to record who said what and what actions were promised). I am also off uni today because my son is excluded rom school (is happening morw and more often ). As I said - full time job!

Thing is, I'm not sure I can really trust the professionals - even the 'good guys' - to get on with all of this. I have to coordinate it all myself.

Maybe the CAF wll help with this? I don't hold out huge hopes, though, to be honest

I'm totally with you on the appointments, we're at that level at the moment, thats one of my problems and is on the CAF that want more co-ordination in appointments so I'm not at the hospital 4 days on the trot. I don't have high hopes of anything actually happening to sort it out but I do think that highlighting this will make them more aware.

I'm inviting the new school SENCO and current preschool SENCO so that they can hear exactly what is going with ds from someone other than me. I had a meeting with school SENCO yesterday and they have said they can't meet his needs and keep him safe and are going to have to ask older pupils to help him and make sure he is ok . I'm not exactly pleased with this arrangment and am hoping the CAF will get that sorted.

I think that in theory CAF sounds good but tbh until we've been through the process I can't really comment on how it actually is and if it does all it claims to do.

When i applied for a SA, LA refused and recommended a CAF.

As far as i can make out, its a fob off, instead of giving a statement.

Thanks rebl - really helpful to hear your experiences.

claw3 - this is my worry. They are already assessig (as we speak) and there is no way they are fobbing me off without a statement. It will be tribunal all the way.

I would write to LA and ask them the exact purpose of the CAF.

If they are already assessing, why would they want a CAF assessment? Does your ds has a dx?

Are the local authority already carrying out a statutory assessment now?

Sorry should also add, a CAF is not necessarily a bad thing by default. It is supposed to be a way of getting everyone together and communicating, which is never a bad thing.

However, i would suspicious Statement and CAF in the same sentence! I would be trying to work out their angle on this too, but im a bitter cynic

we got our letter todays saying they will not assess ds, maybe he needs a caf.

Trace, is that what they wrote to you too? Must be a standard response!

claw3 - yes, the statutory assessment is happening right now. He doesn't have a diagnosis, but CAMHS have said verbally that they hope to set up a proper diagnostic assessment within 8 weeks.

I cannt help but be suspicious, too
Will definitely ask the LEA to clarify why they think a CAF is necessary.

I started with a about 2 weeks ago - first meeting will be end of May

The SENCO at school will be starting looking at statementing DD this next week

I am hoping the CAF will make things run more smoothly as there will be interested parties who will need to be informed about what is happen & that time scales will be set

Apassion when i wrote to LEA their response was 'Ds high anxiety levels needed to be explored through a CAF; CAF's are a way of trying to identify the underlying reasons for a young person's anxieties'

Ds only has a verbal dx of autism at the moment.

Can I just clarify - why can there not be a statutory assessment and a CAF? Am interested, now wary, because we have applied for SA but there is talk of discussing CAF at the multi-disciplinary meeting we have nexty week. I better be forewarned and prepared!

Ampersand - the statutory assessment has gone ahead with us (due to report back end of May), bit they still want a CAF. So the two aren't mutually exclusive. Just pays to be wary, though, in my experience.

A CAF is not a statement.

Ampersand, in my experience they are recommending a CAF assessment instead of a SA.

If already having a SA, i assume they could say now that CAF is in place, childs needs can be met without a statement.

That would be my fear anyhow.

I'm a bit worried now having read this. We completed a CAF because we were told we could access support and apparently our the only way to do this is via a CAF. We are also getting evidence so we can put in request for SA so I'm wondering now whether this will help our case or not. Previous school put in SA request 4 years ago which was declined as 'not been long enough on SA+ and another visit from EP was needed'. After 4 years on SA+ with things deteriorating rapidly I wonder what the next reason for refusal to assess will be!

I can only speak from experience with our LEA, but:

We were informed (by our very supportive, proactive SENCo) that in our LEA (Barnet) the usual application for SA (ie. as per IPSEA's model letter) would in almost all cases be insufficient ie. rejected.

I'm not knocking IPSEA, by the way (fabulous source of support) - just flagging up that some LEAs routinely turn down applications for SA, and only agree to assess where the parents and /or school show substantial evidence for the needs of the child. In the words of our SENCo - 'we almost have to show that we are providing the very highest level of support to the child, even 1:1, in order to get the LEA to agree to provide that required level of support legally through a statement'.

We got a SA agreed by writing a very detailed letter of application, stating in detail (4 pages worth) what we believed our child's SEN to be; what the school were alread supplying in terms of support; and how we thought this was sufficient/insufficient (ie. evidencing what worked and what didn't, in order to substantiate our claims about what sort of support our son needs long term).

In fairness, our DS's school wrote a letter supporting our request.

I would urge you to either:

a) get the school on board. Start quoting the professionals at them. Threaten the LEA with legal action if that does not work

and/or

b) appeal yourselves and seek legal advice. Nothing like a threat of action to get the LEA to pull their finger out.

Good luck.

I am still learning up on this whole process (after years of working with statemented young people, not knowing what their parents had endured to secure this support for them) - but an happy to help or advise where I can.

Apassion, if your ds already has the involvement of Paed, CAMHS, SALT, OT, Ed Psych etc. The idea of a CAF would be to bring all these people together to identify what your ds's needs are and what help etc.

I would want to know if they are already doing a SA they will be identifying his needs and what help, so why do they need a CAF assessment?

Im assuming all of the above have already identify his difficulties and made recommendations of what help.

On point 2 of starlight I am attempting to get an advocate from a national charity. I'm hoping that this will at least weaken any attempt at intimidation and ganging up on me. I hope I'm not being naive on this.

On point 4, I totally agree with. I totally feel that that is what is happening in our case. But again I'm hoping that the advocate will be able to stand their ground. Also I have today found out that I have my ds's preschool SENCO on my side on thinking he needs a statement.

I think that they probably can be seen as negative but I'm hoping that if, as the parent, you go into like a business meeting you should come out with more than going in wearing your heart on your sleeve. Just got to manage that!