From CPA to CAA

In 2009 the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) process was replaced by the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA).

What was CPA?

CPA was about helping local councils in England to improve local services for their communities.

The CPA process looked at how well the council delivered their services, for example planning, refuse collection, environment and housing. It also considered how well the council was run, as this would impact on how they delivered their services in the future.

Our latest CPA result was ‘Good’ awarded after an inspection in Summer 2008.

The Audit Commission has now moved to a new style of assessment called the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA).

What is CAA?

CAA will reflect the new era of public sector partnership working. This new assessment framework will provide a snapshot of how effectively local partnerships are working together to deliver local people's priorities.

The CAA framework document, published by the Audit Commission on 10 February 2009, sets out how CAA will be delivered from April 2009.

The CAA will comprise of two main elements:

• An area assessment, based on Essex as a County, that looks at how well local public services are delivering to local people across the whole area, focusing on agreed priorities such as health, economic wellbeing, community safety and  housing provision.
• Organisational assessments of all the public bodies that work in that area; in other words, the County Council, all the District and Borough councils, the Police, Fire and all the Health Trusts. 

The council assessment will effectively be an annual assessment combining the external auditor’s assessment of value for money in the use of resources, with an assessment of overall service performance.

For those interested in knowing more about the CAA, the Audit Commission have released a Framework document, copies of which can be accessed via the Audit Commission website.

As of April 2008, National Indicators have replaced the Best Value Performance Indicators (BVPI) as the performance measures by which councils are judged.

The CAA will incorporate the results of the National Indicators which include the Place Survey and will be a wider assessment of the how the Council and its partners, such as the Primary Care Trust, work together towards the community’s priorities.