Comprehensive Area Assessment - Archive

Comprehensive Area Assessments, which replaced Comprehensive Performance Assessments, were abolished by the Coalition government following its election in May 2010. This was part of its drive to reduce inspection burdens on local government. The 'oneplace' website, which published assessment results, no longer exists.

Information from 2009

What is Comprehensive Area Assessment?

Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) is a new way of assessing local public services in England. It examines how well councils and other public bodies work together to meet the needs of the people they serve.

Who will undertake the assessment?

Six inspectorates - the Audit Commission, Care Quality Commission, HM Inspectorates of Constabulary, Prisons and Probation and Ofsted are working together to provide and independent overview of the quality of life in a local area.

What will be assessed?

CAA will focus on what local residents and local leaders identify as priorities for the area and how public agencies are working together. Priorities will vary across areas - in one it may be the effects of the recession, in other the quality of healthcare or children's wellbeing.

Sharing the results

Results will be published on the Oneplace website annually. If an area is getting exceptional results or has improved in a way that others can learn from, this will be highlighted with a green flag. In places where there are significant concerns about the likelihood of improvement in agreed local priorities, this will be highlighted with a red flag.

NORTH SOMERSET RESULTS - 2009

According to the North Somerset CAA Report, public sector organisations in North Somerset are working well together.

The report considers how important local issues, such as clean streets and people's health are being tackled and the prospects for them improving.

The CAA also includes an assessment of how public sector partners use their resources and manage performance.

Successful areas highlighted in the report include:

• Public satisfaction with how clean and green the area is
• The quality of life for most people is good, with 85% satisfied with the area they live in
• Local public services together with voluntary and community organisations have been successful in helping more people live at home longer
• Public services and partners are working together to help local people and organisations cope with the impact of the recession

Areas for improvement include:

• Local people are not very satisfied that they can influence local decisions
• Local people are not very satisfied that local public services seek their views

Cllr Ashton said the NSP and the council have ambitious plans to improve this. 'I think the key word from this report is 'partnership'. No one public body can change everything for the better on its own. We have excellent and effective partnerships which are delivering strong performance'.