CAF Policy note 2015
The Common Assessment Framework (CAF), the self-assessment model for performance improvement of public sector organisations in Europe, is one of the major outputs of the European Public Administration Network (EUPAN). The CAF was launched in 2000at the first European Quality Conference in Lisbon.
Since the end of the pilot phase dedicated to the fine tuning of the model and resulting in the CAF 2006 version, the number of users has continuously increased. 4000 public administrations have registered as CAF users at now. As aclear indicator of such a large dissemination,the model is used in 52 countries (of which 24are EU Member States)and several European institutions have applied it to strengthen their performance. The CAF speaks24 languages!
The recent survey on the impact of the use of CAF in the sector of Education,conducted during the Italian Semester by the CAF network, confirms the conclusions of previous European studies: the use of the model has achieved the effect of extensively helping tointroduce a culture of performanceand performance measurement in the public administrations. The interviewed organisations also referred to improvements in specific areas of performance related to actions taken after having realised the CAF self-assessment processthrough implementing some of the many good practices contained as examples in the model. Specific indicators have been used to measure the performance before and after to know the level of improvementthat has been reached.
In fact, through the measurements of the four results areas of a public organisation –results in the fields of citizens/customers, people, social responsibility and key performance – the better performance of the public administrations using the CAF can be validated. These results are achieved by first assessing and then improving the enablers of the functioning of the organisation: leadership, strategy and planning, people, partnerships and resources and processes.
The involvement of the staff, their engagement in the performance and the quality of servicedeliveryis an important added value of the methodology of self-assessment, improvement planning and implementation in the spirit of the PDCA cycle. It results in a clear and high-level increase of people motivation for the benefit of the improvement actions.
To facilitate the use of CAF, the adaptation of the terminology to specific sectors has been proven to be veryeffective. This was clearly demonstrated at the European level by the specific version of the model for the Education sector; several countriesalready took the initiative at national level to develop specific versions for the local administrations, the police, justice, elderly care, university , etc.
By working together to promote the CAFupgrade and diffusion and comparing implementation policies at national levels, a sustainable European community on qualityhas been created amongst the EU Member Statesover the last 14 years,also extending to non–EU countries. The National CAF correspondents concluded in a SWOT analysis during the Latvian Presidency that the close cooperationamong the CAF network Members has proven to be highly effective in helping to build a shared view and a common culture on public sector quality issues. The sustainability of the network is therefore crucial to further support this evolution, especially considering the “youngest” EUPAN Members who are particularly interested in promoting the quality of their public organisations.
The added value of CAF is also put forward by the European Commission in its efforts and strategy on improving Administrative Capacity Building in the context of the Thematic Objective 11 for the use of the structural fundsprogramming period 2014-2020, especially the ESF.[1]Also for the system of quality, considered as one of the pre-requirements for Member States willing to use structural funds, the EC refers to CAF as one of the models possible to be used.With regard to the (potential) candidate countries, DGNear promotes the use of CAF in the newly developed “principles of public administration”.[2]
A lot of work has already beenachieved. Butfurther investments are still needed in the potential use and diffusion of the CAF model.Many public sector organisations are not yet aware of the profit they can gain from using the CAF. The European and national CAF resource centres tough have recently developed new action plans for the future to raise awareness and assist new CAF users.
The many areas of public management that are covered by the 9 criteria and 28 sub-criteria of the model demand a fruitful European collaboration to further develop tools and instruments that are easily accessible and interchangeable, creating in this way a real European common culture for supporting highly performing public administrations.
On behalf of the European CAF network
Patrick StaesHead of the European
CAF Resource Centre / Sabina Bellotti
Italian CAFCorrespondent
[1]European Commission (2015), “Quality of Public Administration - A Toolbox for Practitioners” – abridged version, 140 p.
[2]Sigma (2014), Principles of Public Administration, 110p.