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Last updated: 29 May 2009
The Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) is the new way of assessing how well local public bodies are working in partnership to deliver agreed priorities as set out in Local Area Agreements (LAAs) and the wider national indicator set.
It is a rolling assessment which will look at the whole area and how well local bodies are working together in partnership to achieve improved outcomes for their communities now and in the future.
The CAA came into force on 1 April 2009 and is now being implemented in all areas in England running up to the publication of the first of the annual assessment reports in November 2009.
All of the national indicators are assessed in all areas. Therefore all areas will be assessed on National Indicators 6 (participation in volunteering) and 7 (environment for a thriving third sector), even if it is not included in the LAA.
The third sector is an essential member of the Local Strategic Partnership and has a key role in local decision-making, as deliverer of local services and in holding local government to account. These roles and Compact principles are embedded in the CAA framework.
The CAA can be a useful tool for third sector organisations in holding local public bodies to account. It will be important for the third sector to take a coordinated approach to engaging with the CAA locally in order to maximise their ability to advocate on behalf of the sector and the communities it serves.
The Office of the Third Sector has published a short guide to the key elements of the CAA for the third sector, which can be accessed below: