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What is ContactPoint?
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ContactPoint is one part of the Government's 'Every Child Matters' Plan. It builds on existing arrangements for sharing relevant information between people who work with children, young people and families.
ContactPoint will help to reduce the amount of time it takes for a person working with a child (e.g. a doctor, a teacher or a social worker) to find out who else is involved with that same child. This will help make sure that children and families get the help and support they need, when they need it.
ContactPoint is like a computer-based phone book. It will help people who work with children to quickly find out who else is supporting the same child. It will only hold information such as name and contact details.
Why professionals need to talk to each other
If the people who are working with a child can find each other easily they can:
- make sure that every child is getting the support they need;
- find the right support early, before problems get bigger; and
- work together, which means that a child (or family) doesn't have to explain the same things to lots of different people.
People should only talk about a child if the child (or parent/carer) agrees. But there may be times when they have to talk to someone urgently, such as if a child is in danger or seriously ill.
The information on ContactPoint
ContactPoint will only hold very basic information such as;
- Name, address and date of birth of everyone in England up to their 18th birthday;
- Name and address for each child's:
- Parent or carer;
- School and doctor;
- Other services (e.g. health visitor).
By law, ContactPoint cannot hold any details like doctors' notes or school records.
Who can use ContactPoint?
ContactPoint will only be used by:
- people whose job it is to help children and young people – this could be a school nurse or a youth worker;
- people whose job it is to make sure ContactPoint is accurate and up-to-date
- people who have had the necessary 'police check' clearance.
Keeping ContactPoint safe
ContactPoint meets tough security standards and experts will keep testing it.
Before professionals can use ContactPoint they must:
- be trained to make sure they know how to use it properly and securely;
- have passed strict security checks, and have their own user name, password, PIN and security token.
There will be checks to make sure ContactPoint is always being used by the right people in the right way.
How long will a record be kept on ContactPoint?
A young person's record will be removed from ContactPoint when they turn 18 (apart from some young people who can choose to stay on until they are 25).
Can children and young people see their record?
Children and young people, or their mum, dad or carer when acting on a child's behalf (e.g. when a child is very young), can see their record and ask to have it corrected if they believe something on there – e.g. an address - is wrong.
When will it be ready?
People who work with children and young people in Hull will start to use ContactPoint from early 2010.
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