Your views sought on the Comprehensive Area Assessment
The Audit Commission has published a consultation document on developing
the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA). The CAA is a scheme being
developed by the Audit Commission designed to help local services to
improve people's quality of life. It is a key part of the changes at a
local level set out in the Local Government & Public Involvement in
Health Bill.
The Audit Commission is leading six inspectorates (Commission for Social
Care Inspection, Healthcare Commission, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, HM
Inspectorate of Prisons, HM Inspectorate of Probation and OFSTED) in the
development of the CAA throughout 2008.
CAA is about people and places. It will give people an annual snapshot of
life in their local area and help local services to improve their quality
of life. It will also provide an independent view of whether people are
getting value for money from their local services.
In 2009 CAA will take over from the Comprehensive Performance Assessment
(CPA) of local government. Delivering a joined up approach to assessing
public services, it aims to ensure that local councils, primary care trusts
and other health organisations, police, fire and rescue authorities,
housing associations, schools and other partners are working together to
tackle the challenges facing their communities.
The Audit Commission will be taking a participative approach to trialling
the CAA throughout the early part of the new year. They have published a
consultation document and are holding a series of consultation events
around the country in January and February 2008.
Alongside the launch of the CAA consultation, the Audit Commission is
publishing separately a consultation on its Use of Resources assessment of
local councils, primary care trusts, police authorities and fire and rescue
authorities. Use of resources is the Commission's annual assessment of
how well organisations manage their resources and will be an element of the
new CAA framework. The assessment will, for the first time, be a common
approach applying to these services and will be adopted for 2008/09.
Details on both the consultations and the planned events can be found at on
the Audit Commission's website. Responses to the consultations should
be submitted by 15 February 2008.
