ContactPoint - Factsheet

ContactPoint will be the quick way to find out who else is working with the same child or young person, making it easier to deliver more coordinated support.

This basic online directory will be available to authorised staff who need it to do their jobs. It is a key part of the Every Child Matters programme to improve outcomes for children.

Why do we need ContactPoint?

The purpose of ContactPoint is to help improve services to children with a strong emphasis on early intervention and prevention. Currently practitioners can spend days trying to find out who else is working with the same child or unknowingly duplicate work that is already being carried out by another service. ContactPoint has been designed to support the processes followed by those who work with children.

What will the benefits be?

Local authority Trailblazers have been piloting local 'indexes'. They demonstrated that this type of tool produces some key benefits:

• less time trying to find other practitioners
• quicker assessment of whether a child is receiving universal services (education, primary health care);
• enables more effective multi-agency working which leads to better service experience for children and young people.

An essential requirement identified in the early stages of development was that ContactPoint must be a national system to ensure it works for children who receive services across, or move between, local authority boundaries.

What information will be held on ContactPoint?

ContactPoint will only contain the following basic information:

• name, address, gender and date of birth of all children in England (aged 0-18); and
• name and contact details for:
  • parents or carers;
  • educational setting (e.g. school);
  • primary medical practitioner (e.g. GP practice);
  • other services;
  • lead professional (if appointed); and
  • CAF contacts and dates of agreements.

There will also be the facility to indicate if practitioners have completed an assessment under the Common Assessment Framework and to add contact details of any lead professional allocated to the child.

Informed consent of the child or young person’s parent/carer will be needed to record contact details of sensitive services (defined as sexual/mental health and substance abuse). Access to this information will be restricted.

ContactPoint will NOT contain any detailed information (such as case notes, assessments, medical data or exam results).

How will it be updated?

Wherever possible, ContactPoint will be automatically updated from existing systems, so that practitioners will not need to enter the same information twice.

Who will have access?

Access to ContactPoint will be restricted to authorised users who need it as part of their work. This will include those working in education, health, social care, youth offending and some voluntary organisations.

All users will have enhanced Criminal Records Bureau clearance. Users will be trained in the safe and secure use of the system, information sharing practice, and compliance with the Data Protection Act and Human Rights Act.

Authorised users will be able to access ContactPoint through a secure web link, through some existing case management systems or through another authorised user. It will not be possible for any user to access any case management systems or case data held by another agency through ContactPoint.

How will you ensure it will be secure?

The security of ContactPoint is of paramount importance. The design and implementation is being reviewed by independent security experts throughout its development. To access ContactPoint, users will need a minimum of a personal security token and a password. Every access will be detailed in the audit trail, which will be reviewed regularly.

What is the timetable?

The legal framework for the operation of ContactPoint is provided by Regulations, which are made under Section 12 of the Children Act 2004.

ContactPoint will be made available to local authorities in England during 2008.

See Also:

ContactPoint