Can anyone please explain to me what a CAF meeting involves?

teabag29

I've posted a few threads on here regarding my dd's behaviour problems. There is mental health on her fathers side and she has finally been referred to CAHMS and i'm awaiting an appointment.

In the meantime her behaviour is not only very bad but very disturbing e.g talking to herself, hearing people say things they haven't said, urinating and sometimes soiling on purpose (all over her wardrobe, bed, floor, herself), violent episodes, binge eating obsession, stealing, truanting, very poor hygiene, does not see danger and lots more besides.

I am in regular contact with her head of year teacher and after this mornings episode (she hit her 2 year old sister with her bag, hit me, broke the plug on the bath to avoid having a bath and other stuff) and her threatening to truant again the head of year has asked me if I would like to have a caf meeting to which I agreed as I will do anything that may help. Thing is i'm not exactly sure what one is except its multi agency. Could anyone give me more detail?

Also does my dd have to attend the meeting because my doctor said not to let her know how badly behaved she is or to let her know how much its affecting things or she will play on it and it will become worse, on the other hand if she does have a mental illness I doubt sitting in a room with me telling everyone how un-normal she is will do wonders for her mind so how do I get round this?

Any info/advice appreciated x

Pinky15

Hi there - a CAF meeting is a Common Assessment Framework - the idea of this is too pull together a team of professionals who are working together to support you and your child. In the past professionals have worked independently but this type of meeting was bought in to pull everyone together as a team to work out how the child can be supported in the best possible way. This means all people helping the child are on the same wave length so to speak.

The meeting generally will involve a discussion, and recommendations on how to proceed. you may also be assigned a point of contact - this person will oversee the CAF.
Hope this helps.

rachbc

Before the caf someone who is working with the family and knows you should do a 'pre caf' assessment which identifies areaswhere you feel you need support and a positive outcome you woudl like to achieve with the caf - there are various areas in health, educational achievement etc etc.

You can have as single agency caf where you only work with one person/ agency but its more likely that then a meeting will be called with all the agencies involved with the family - school, cahms etc and you look at the assessment and work out which organisations can provide the support that is needed and how/ when etc. A 'lead Professional' is then decided on on co-ordinates all the agencies to ensure what has been agreed happens - you would then have a review meeting to see if support is in place, if its working, what else might by needed etc.

CAF should be a very 'solution focussed' - so its not a talking shop its about actually doing stuff, reviewing if it works, identifing successful practice, changing what doesn't work. In your case it shouldn't be about telling your dd how 'bad' she is but about identifying what she thinks would be a better way to behave and what help she needs to do that. It is also 'client centred' - its about what the family/ young person want - not what the agencies think should happen so I would say its impertive that your daughter be there and be an active participant in the CAF.

HTH

puddy

how old is your daughter and what does she make of her 'problems' does she feel she needs help or recognise them or is she worried about being different. does she have lucid moments where she is able to talk to you about things she does?

soupdragon10

A CAF should allow all the agencies concerned to discuss the support that they are going to provide, what they are going to do and most importantly give a time frame when this will happen.

I would suggest making a list of questions to take along to the meeting, and help that you feel might benefit your DD and wider family. If you don't have your own list then it's can be difficult to follow what is happening. Do you have a parent support worker at the school that could go with you if you need someone for support?

pigpen

My daughter wasn't present at the CAF meetings we had.. and they wre a complete wate of time for us.. one of the teachers tried making out it was all down to a single issue and the conversation didn't seem to move from there.. which I kept saying this isn't the issue.

I'd suggest going in armed with information.. any correspondence from other organisaions and people she has seen etc.. a list of issues she has which you feel need addressing and ways to possibly do this and an ideea of which organisations you feel might be able to help.

CAMHS are crappy.. I know lots of children referred to them and not one has come away with any answers.. 2 of mine included! Don't rely on them for anything.. trust your own judgement you know your daughter better than anyone else and don't be fobbed off!

teabag29

puddy wrote: »

how old is your daughter and what does she make of her 'problems' does she feel she needs help or recognise them or is she worried about being different. does she have lucid moments where she is able to talk to you about things she does?

my dd is now 12 and she says she doesnt know why she does the things she does and often she doesnt see what she has done wrong (things that would be obvious to most people). The teachers picked up on this also and said its as if she doesnt know what shes done wrong or why she does it. With regards to talking to herself she confided in me last week thats its something she needs to do, she gave me an example of like when your dying for a bar of chocolate and really need one, she says she really needs to do it and cant wait to get home from school so that she can do it.

puddy

then it might not be that helpful for her to be there at the meeting but she needs to feel she is contributing to it by having you explain what sort of things you are worried about and what she would like to say, get her to write a list, about how she feels about school, friends, talking to herself, soiling or wetting (if she recognises this) then you can feedback to her what the meeting concluded (in child appropriate sensitive language of course!) so that she understands who is doing what and why and why people are checking that she is ok

if you said to her 'do you think theres anything about your behaviour that im worried about or school are worried about'? what would she say to you

once you break it down with her, she may feel isolated because of her behaviour or confused as to why people keep saying shes done this or that. focus on the behaviour and actions rather than her, talk about the behaviour as an entity of its own

teabag29

How can the school and the attendants of the meeting help me though? I am awaiting camhs and my major other concern other than her behaviour is trying to get her to school safely as she walks out into the main road and doesnt see the danger in doing so even though I have explained this to her on numerous occasions. School have already told me they cant refer her for transport unless she gets dla but that takes 13 weeks to process once a claim is in. Im not sure how else the school or this meeting can help?

puddy

are social services not involved? she sounds like a child in need to me, someone needs to be helping with services and resources, you sound like you're at the end of your tether and its difficult to keep her safe. i know that is what the caf meeting will be about, but why the delay, what have they been doing?

pigpen

teabag29 wrote: »

How can the school and the attendants of the meeting help me though? I am awaiting camhs and my major other concern other than her behaviour is trying to get her to school safely as she walks out into the main road and doesnt see the danger in doing so even though I have explained this to her on numerous occasions. School have already told me they cant refer her for transport unless she gets dla but that takes 13 weeks to process once a claim is in. Im not sure how else the school or this meeting can help?

That is what you need to decide.

Our DLA claim took 5 weeks for one child and 9 weeks for the other. 1 time it took less than 2 weeks.. it is very variable and depends on who hey are writing to and how long it takes them to reply.

Do your LEA do statements? Ask if tht woud be appropriate.. that can take 18 months but will secure funding for her some help at school.

Is there not a school bus?

What other things/areas do you feel you as a family could benefit from a little extra support?

A childminder to walk other children to school so you can take DD?

Family/individual counselling?

They won't offer anything you have to know what help you want and ask for it!!!