Children's services professionals across England will today
start learning how to operate ContactPoint, the national children’s
database.
The computerised system will go live in 17 pilot local
authorities in the North West, and children’s charities Barnardo’s
and Kids this spring, before being rolled out nationally in the
in using the database, which holds records of all children in
England and the services and professionals they are in contact
with.
Two officials from every local authority will learn how to
shield information in the database about vulnerable children from
the estimated 390,000 professionals who will have access.
An official from the Department for Children, Schools and
Families estimated that hundreds of children will need shielding in
each local authority.
Children’s minister Delyth Morgan described the training in
shielding as “a very important pre-requisite before the system can
be fully deployed”.
The system includes basic information about 11 million under-18s
and contact details of professionals who are working with them. No
case information will be held on the database.
The £224 million system will cost £41 million a year to run.
Opposition parties have called for the delayed system to be
scrapped, citing security concerns.
Security concerns
The database, originally scheduled to launch last April, has
been hit by a series of delays in the past year.
Opposition politicians called for it to be scrapped due to
concerns about potential security breaches.
However, IT contractor Capgemini has ensured it will be
“impossible to download the contents of ContactPoint”, according to
the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
Communication
Children’s secretary Ed Balls said the database would prove an
invaluable resource in safeguarding children.
“ContactPoint will help those who work with children to
intervene earlier and prevent problems escalating and will help
make sure no child slips through the net of support services,” he
added.
Balls said that recent serious case reviews into child deaths
had illustrated the tragic consequences that poor
information-sharing between agencies can have.
“No system can ever guarantee that all children will be safe but
we know ContactPoint will make a real difference," he added.
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Expert guide to child protection
External information
ContactPoint - information from the Every Child Matters
website