What the Cyber Assessment Framework Means for Local Government

Local government organisations are increasingly relying on digital services to deliver essential functions - from public services to internal operations. With this growing reliance comes a higher risk of cyber threats. To help councils and local authorities manage these risks, the Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) is becoming an essential tool for assessing and strengthening cyber resilience.

Why CAF Matters for Local Government

Local councils face unique cyber challenges:

• Sensitive customer data: Councils store personal, financial, and health-related information that must be protected.
• Critical services: From utilities to social services, cyber disruption can impact essential services.
• Resource constraints: Many councils operate with limited IT and security staff.

CAF provides a framework to prioritise these risks and make informed decisions about where to invest time and resources for maximum impact. It helps councils demonstrate that they are managing cyber risks effectively, which is increasingly a requirement for regulatory and public accountability.

What is the Cyber Assessment Framework?

The Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) is a structured framework developed to help public sector organisations evaluate how well they manage cyber risks.

The CAF for local government involves:

• Identifying the essential services and critical systems your organisation relies on
• Completing a self-assessment of both your organisation and your critical systems
• An independent assurance review, to get an external view of your cyber resilience
• Developing a plan to address your organisation’s vulnerabilities

The CAF for local government is built around four core objectives, underpinned by principles and contributing outcomes that demonstrate good cyber security and resilience.

Key CAF objectives

The CAF is organised by 4 core objectives each focusing on a critical area of cyber resilience:

Self-assessment of your organisation

Managing security risk (objective A)

This objective looks at whether you have organisational structures, policies and processes in place to understand, assess and manage security risks to the network and information systems supporting your essential functions.

Minimising the impact of cyber security incidents (objective D)

If your organisation was attacked, how ready are you to respond? This objective examines your capability to minimise the impact of a cyber security incident on the operation of your essential functions, and how you might restore them.

Self-assessment of your critical systems

Protecting against cyber attack (objective B)

Demonstrate where and how you have proportionate security measures in place to protect the critical systems supporting your essential functions from cyber attack.

Detecting cyber security events (objective C)

This looks at the reactive side of cyber security. Assess your capability to ensure security defences remain effective and can detect cyber security events affecting, or with the potential to affect, essential functions.

CAF principles

14 principles that underpin the CAF objectives. They outline the activities organisations should maintain for good cyber security and resilience.

The principles are:

• Governance (A1)
• Risk management (A2)
• Asset management (A3)
• Supply chain (A4)
• Service protection policies and processes (B1)
• Identity and access control (B2)
• Data security (B3)
• System security (B4)
• Resilient networks and systems (B5)
• Staff awareness and training (B6)
• Security monitoring (C1)
• Proactive security event discovery (C2)
• Response and recovery planning (D1)
• Lessons learned (D2)

The Benefits of CAF Alignment for Councils

Councils that implement CAF effectively can expect:

• Improved cyber resilience and reduced risk of service disruption.
• Clearer accountability and governance around cybersecurity.
• Better preparedness for regulatory scrutiny and audits.
• A structured approach to continuous improvement in cyber practices.

Conclusion

The Cyber Assessment Framework is more than just a compliance exercise - it’s a roadmap for councils to strengthen cyber resilience, protect sensitive information, and maintain public trust. By understanding CAF and aligning policies, processes, and technology, local governments can proactively manage cyber risks and ensure essential services remain secure and reliable.

How we help

At Protocol Policy Systems, we make the CAF alignment process easier for councils. Our Policy Management as a Service offering provides IT policy content mapped directly to contributing outcomes of the four CAF objectives – helping you show clear evidence of good practice where it matters most. Contact us today to find out how we can help your council strengthen cyber resilience.