Common assessment framework: The whole picture

The head of policy at Wandsworth Council, Roger Appleton, is honestabout the reaction of local practitioners to the new common assessmentframework. Although many are pleased with the tool, not everyone ishappy with the new format of assessing children's needs, he admits. Someof the specialist practitioners, for instance, prefer a more traditionalwritten assessment, rather than the standardised form that the frameworkoffers, while others feel somewhat threatened because the frameworkplaces a greater emphasis on the role of universal services in assessingneed.

"What we're trying to do is to give universal professionals a biggerinvolvement by encouraging a greater sense of responsibility around someof the emerging problems. All of that challenges the role of thespecialist professional," he says, "and, with the best will in theworld, they're bound to feel a bit threatened."