Introduce the CAF to your senior leadership and management team
The CAF for local government requires organisation-wide collaboration, so advocacy at senior leadership level is vital.
Your CAF lead can use the information on this page to introduce the CAF to your council’s board or executive team.
Benefits to highlight to senior leaders
Protect against cyber attacks
Cyber attacks can have huge financial and reputational costs, and threaten to disrupt the delivery of your critical services to citizens.
With cyber incidents affecting the public sector rising, it is important your council is taking steps to protect its essential services. Assessing and understanding your cyber resilience is the first step to take.
Understand your cyber posture against a national benchmark
The CAF is an established framework by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) used by a range of organisations that operate essential services.
Complement other cyber standards your council might be working towards
The CAF can supplement your council’s existing levels of cyber security, focusing on your essential services and critical systems. Parts of the CAF also align with cyber security and assurance standards that you and your third-party providers may be familiar with.
Find out how the CAF relates to other cyber standards.
Get recommendations on areas to prioritise
As part of the independent assurance process, you will receive clear recommendations for improvement. Use these to prioritise your spending and allocation of resources.
Make better decisions about your cyber security
Cyber security is a complex and rapidly evolving area, so prescriptive rules and frameworks can become outdated.
The CAF principles are designed to be flexible. Apply them in the context of your organisation and the unique challenges you face to guide good cyber security decision-making.
Understand how your council manages risk
Take a wider view of how your organisation deals with risk, in the context of the challenges local government faces. This should not be a tick-box exercise.
Work towards a profile designed for local government
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has worked with local government and cyber security experts to agree a profile tailored to the risks councils in England face.
Demonstrate that your council is being proactive to potential threats and responding proportionally to the risks that local government faces.
How senior leaders can support your assessment
Senior leaders can support a successful CAF self-assessment by:
- helping to allocate resources and prioritise the CAF
- sharing progress with your council’s security and digital boards
- promoting a cyber aware culture across the organisation
A member of your senior leadership and management team may also need to approve the overall submission from your council.
Find out more about roles and responsibilities.