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.
The most important facts about CAF
- CAF is quality management!
- CAF is self-assessment by members of the organization!
- CAF needs self-assessment teams!
- CAF is a questionnaire with 200 questions!
- CAF means consensus!
- CAF is a guide to public management and governance!
- CAF self-assessment is a tool for identifying areas of improvement!
- CAF is Benchlearning!
Graphic of CAF model
Why to use CAF?
Tailored to the needs of public administrations:
CAF is a quality management tool developed by public administrations for public administrations.
Improve the performance of public administrations
CAF identifies strengths and improvement areas of the organization, while at the same time being sensitive for improvements and measures for further development.
Simple application
The CAF was developed to be used by public administrations on its own or only with little external support.
Quick and sustainable results at low cost
The CAF questionnaire can be downloaded from https://www.respaweb.eu/caf. Compared to other quality management tools, results are quickly available.
Sustainability
Self-assessment and quality management with the CAF are the beginning of a continuous improvement process in an organization. The regular use of CAF (optimally every two years) is recommended.
External feedback
With the CAF label profound evaluation and confirmation by external feedback is possible
Learning through comparisons and networks
CAF was developed for all public administrations in the EU. Based on the CAF grid, CAF users can compare their own results with others and learn together.
Improving the image of public administrations
CAF leads to a modern, citizen-oriented and efficient organization that lives transparency and participation and thus strengthens the legitimacy of public administrations. Citizens, customers, employees as well as politics and administration benefit from a better image.
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:
- All relevant CAF documents can be found on the CAF page at ReSPA webistehttps://www.respaweb.eu/10/caf
- With the CAF database the contact details of CAF users are collected for the purpose of know-how-transfer.
- 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.
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.
Regional Quality Centre
Goran Pastrovic
Tel: +382 67 179 317
E-mail: g.pastrovic@respaweb.eu
Slaven Bukarica
Tel: +382 67 179 314
E-mail: s.bukarica@respaweb.eu
KDZ-Centre for Public Administration Research
Thomas Prorok
Tel: +43 1 892 349 218
E-mail: prorok@kdz.or.at
Philip Parzer
Tel: +43 1 8923492 10
E-mail: parzer@kdz.or.at
