If a child/young person is experiencing a range of difficulties it may be useful to explore this further by completing a CAF assessment. The best way to do this is involve their educational setting or an involved health professional who will be able to explore this further. If necessary the professional will be able to get further advice from the Early Help service. Parents can complete a CAF assessment without a professional involvement, however this support may be useful to help define some of the issues and seek solutions..
Making a CAF referral as a parent/carer
If you've not been able to access support through your child's educational setting or from a health professional to make a CAF referral, as their parent or carer you can make the referral yourself using the Suffolk Children and Young People’s Portal. The Children and Young People’s Portal is a secure space where you complete and submit various forms relating to children and families in Suffolk, directly to the relevant children's services at the County Council.
The first time you complete a form you will be prompted to create a new portal account. Registering for an account is quick and easy, and you only need to do it once. To ensure the information you submit is secure, you will be required to log into this account every time you access the portal.
When you submit a CAF referral through the portal, it will be entered on to the system and checks made on the information to ensure we can offer the best advice and support. Following consideration, a decision will be made on whether further support is required from the County Council's Early Help Service, in which case it will be passed to the relevant Early Help Team. Cases which do not require support from the team will be given advice and guidance, which may include other agencies or virtual resources.
Go through to the Children and Young People’s Portal to submit a CAF referral.
Further support including a user guide and walk through videos are available on the portal overview page.