What is CAF?

The CAF (Common Assessment Framework) is a quality management system for public administrations, with which employees and managers assess their own organization, determine their strengths and potential for improvement, and subsequently implement improvements. CAF is suitable as a quality assessment system for public administrations at EU, national, regional and local level. The CAF can be used for the entire organization or for selected departments.

Graphic of CAF model

Why to use CAF?

CAF – Services of Regional Quality Centre

The vision: ReSPA is an inter-governmental innovative regional hub for policy research, knowledge sharing, regional cooperation and networking in the field of public administration.

ReSPA’s mission is to improve regional cooperation, promote shared learning and support the development of public administrations within the Western Balkans and, through this, support integration into the EU.

Our Services:

Supporting CAF implementation
ReSPA Regional Quality Management Centre (RQC) accompanies public administrations and their related organizations in the preparation, implementation and follow-up of the CAF application.
Main elements of implementation services are:

• Advice on the adaptation of the CAF-questionnaire to the individual needs of the organization - 1-day adjustment workshop;
• CAF- Self Assessment team training - 1-day training workshop;
• Constant monitoring of the entire CAF process;
• Preparation and moderation of a 2-day CAF self-assessment workshop; With more than 150 employees it is recommended to conduct parallel CAF assessment workshops.
• Documentation of the results of CAF-self-assessment workshop in a consolidated report;
• Preparation and moderation of the 1-day CAF action plan workshop. CAF-Knowledge-Base:

RQC provides CAF related materials, presentations, guidelines, educational videos, and more to interested organizations, executives, and quality managers of public administration. On our website https://www.respaweb.eu/caf  you will find all relevant material as well as our contact information.

CAF-Trainings:

Basic seminar for CAF “newcomers”
RQC offers basic seminars for CAF “newcomers”. The 1.5-day seminar will introduce the basics of quality management and background information on CAF and other quality management models. Practical exercises in simulated self-evaluation processes complete the seminar.
Training of CAF moderators
RQC offers customized training for CAF moderators. In these trainings you will get all the tools to introduce CAF independently in your organization and to successfully implement the change process.

CAF-Network & Database:

RQC strives to build a regional CAF network and make best practices of successful CAF applications accessible to other interested organizations:

1. All relevant CAF documents can be found on the CAF page at ReSPA webistehttps://www.respaweb.eu/10/caf
2. With the CAF database the contact details of CAF users are collected for the purpose of know-how-transfer.
3. RQC organizes regular network meetings to promote the exchange of information between CAF users and to sustainably promote and develop CAF as a quality management tool.

CAF-Label

The CAF quality label "Effective CAF User" is a CAF feedback by external, experienced CAF users and / or quality managers.
Public sector organizations have expressed a desire to see the results of their efforts and to receive feedback after implementing CAF. Building on this vison the CAF quality label was developed at the end of September 2009 by the CAF expert group of the Innovative Public Sector Group (IPSG).
The CAF-label confirms the correct application of the CAF. Furthermore, it is recognized that the organization is already on the way to continuous development in terms of quality management.
The basis for the Professional External CAF feedback procedure is three questionnaires:

• one to the CAF self-assessment process,
• one for the CAF improvement process and
• one for the maturity of the organization.

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Graphic on CAF Professional Feedback Procedure

 

The CAF "Effective CAF User" label can be applied for by organizations that:

• carried out a CAF self-assessment six to 12 months ago, and
• registered as a CAF user in the European (http://caf.eipa.eu/3/98/) and RQC CAF database. Within RQC website a formular should be embedded where organisations can register themselves as CAF users. Alternatively they could also register via -Email notification at RQC and you store the information in an excel-file.
  The CAF "Effective CAF User" label is valid for a period of two years.

CAF label application

• The CAF label can be applied for at the KDZ - Centre for Public Administration Reserach. Detailed information can be found on the CAF website of KDZ http://www.caf-zentrum.at/de/CAF-Center-EU.

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Contact

The Regional School of Public Administration acts as a CAF-centre in the region and has set up a Regional Quality Centre (RQC) for this purpose. Das KDZ arbeitet zum Thema CAF in Kooperation mit dem Bundeskanzleramt. The close contact of RQC with the KDZ-Centre of Public Administration Research guarantees the regular exchange of professional experience and know-how with other European countries and CAF-experts.