Assessment and inspection

In April 2007, the Government commissioned seven inspectorates, led by the Audit Commission, to jointly develop and test an outcome-focused, proportionate, risk-based system of assessment and inspection for local services, the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA).

The CAA replaced the previous assessment regime for local authorities, the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA), from 1 April 2009.

CAA will bring together assessments of performance across each local area and focus more on the delivery of outcomes rather than the performance of individual institutions.

After trialling the proposals on the ground in ten local areas and holding two public consultations, the inspectorates published their regulatory framework for the delivery of CAA on 10 February 2009 which is now available on the Audit Commission's website at: www.audit-commission.gov.uk/caa (external link).