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What is Integrated Practice?
Integrated practice, incorporating the Common Assessment Framework (CAF), focuses on enabling, and encouraging, practitioners to work together and to adopt common processes to deliver frontline services coordinated  and built around the needs of the child/young person.
By working together we can make sure that a child’s additional needs are assessed in a more holistic way.
Integrated working includes introducing tools to help us communicate more effectively. These tools include the Common Assessment Framework (CAF), Lead Professional role, and eCAF.
To help CAF practitioners to call together a Team Around the Family (TAF), a contacts directory is available on Compass. The directory is arranged by District and Extended School Consortia areas. Professionals and practitioners who have completed Integrated Practice training are included as well as County-wide specialists.
The directory can be found on Compass (the HCC intranet accessible from within Hertfordshire Schools)
Guidance for practitioners is available on the Herts Direct web site:
For queries on integrated practice please email caf-enquiries@hertscc.gov.uk
Common Assessment Framework
For information on the Common Assessment Framework (CAF), Team Around the Family (TAF) and Lead Professional, including CAF Form and Practitioner Guidance:
National eCAF (NeCAF) in Hertfordshire
National eCAF (NeCAF) is simply an electronic version of the standard paper CAF process already being used across Hertfordshire. NeCAF will enable authorised, trained practitioners from different sectors of the children’s workforce to electronically store and share CAF information quickly and securely, and to work together to build a holistic picture of a child or young person’s needs.
Guidance for Schools
Factsheet for NeCAF Schools
Meeting the Needs of Children and Families in Hertfordshire
The Meeting the Needs of Children and Families in Hertfordshire sets out clear thresholds for accessing targeted and specialist services. It supports practitioners in making decisions on how best to respond to the needs of children and families.
It is expected that all agencies in the county will work to the thresholds as set out in this handbook. It is therefore important that the children’s workforce in Hertfordshire have a clear understanding of the threshold guidance in their work with children and families, and that it is consistently used across the county. The handbook includes a new, more simplified, ‘Continuum of Needs’ windscreen and a clearer indication of the different levels and indicators for universal, targeted and specialist needs. The handbook is designed to only to be a guide and is not intended to replace professional judgement in any situation.
Download a pdf version of the handbook below:
 Meeting the Needs of Children and Families in Hertfordshire
Common Assessment Framework Forms and Supporting Tools
All the Common Assessment Framework forms and supporting tools are available on Herts Direct: Please visit this site regularly to ensure that you have the latest version of the forms and procedures:
Single Service Request Form
The Single Service Request form should be used when a child/young person has a single need. This form prompts practitioners to consider outcomes and, if more than one area of need is identified, the practitioner should then complete a Common Assessment Framework.
For Childrens' Services, the Single Service Request form also replaces the old referral form CSF 3155.
1st November 2011 - The Single Service Request (SSR) form has been updated to reflect changes in services within children’s services as a result of the recent children’s services transformation. It clarifies where professionals are to send a completed SSR form for the service they are requesting from Children’s Services. The updated Single Service Request (SSR) form can be downloaded from the links below.
Advice on generating the Single service request form from sims.net can be found on the SITSS web pages at:
Common Assessment Framework Form and Supporting tools
To access CAF forms and Guidance documents including 'How to Complete a CAF' please go to:
CAF forms can also be accessed on schools SIMS system:
Integrated Practice Bulletins
For news on integrated working, please read the bulletins which can be downloaded from Herts Direct at:
Integrated Practice - Training and Development
A series of half-day (morning) only modular training sessions are available until July 2010. All courses are based at New Barnfield in Hatfield. To view dates and book on line visit Herts Direct:
From September 2011 we will be organizing IW Roadshows at venues across the County. They will focus on providing support for practitioners who are initiating CAF's, taking on the role of lead professional or attending TAF meetings.
This will be an opportunity to meet and share your experience, knowledge and skills with others providing a service to children, young people and families.
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