|
FAQ's
- What is ContactPoint?
- What is the legal basis for ContactPoint?
- What data will be held on ContactPoint?
- Will ContactPoint have medical histories, exam results and other personal information on it?
- Why is ContactPoint needed?
- Why will ContactPoint cover all children in England?
- Who will use ContactPoint?
- How will users access ContactPoint?
- How does ContactPoint work?
- How will you ensure ContactPoint is accurate and up-to-date?
- Is ContactPoint safe?
- What information will be shown on a shielded record?
- Will children and young people be able to see their data?
- What will happen to the record when a young person turns 18?
- Can I choose to exclude children and young person information from ContactPoint?
- What are the guidelines for shielding children?
- What are the arrangements for 'shielding'? How does a family go about applying to have their children's or young person records shielded?
- How will people know that they need to apply for shielding?
- Will young people be told how to apply for shielding on their own behalf?
- Where are we now?
|
|
You can't share information if you don't know who to share it with - or where to find them.
ContactPoint is a key element of the Every Child Matters programme to transform children's services by supporting more effective prevention and early intervention.
ContactPoint is one of a range of tools that will help services work together more effectively on the frontline to meet the needs of children, young people and their families. It will hold basic information such as name and contact details.
ContactPoint will help practitioners who work with children and young people to quickly find out who else is supporting the same child. It will help them to concentrate on delivering services rather than wasting time trying to find out who else is involved or unknowingly duplicating the efforts of others. This will help practitioners to contact each other if they need to, and make sure that a child and family are getting all the support they need.
ContactPoint will be rolled out during 2009 and will:
- Help practitioners to identify a child with whom they have contact and whether that child is getting the universal services (education, primary health care etc.) to which he or she is entitled.
- Provide a tool to enable earlier identification of needs and more effective action to
co-ordinate services.
- Facilitate better communication and closer working between different practitioners in the children's services workforce.
Top
|
2 What is the legal basis for ContactPoint?
ContactPoint was established under The Children Act 2004 Information Database (England) Regulations 2007, Regulations to establish and operate ContactPoint came into force on 1st August 2007.
These Regulations (formally known as The Children Act 2004 Information Database (England) Regulations 2007), provide the legal framework for the establishment and operation of ContactPoint, and were subject to 'affirmative resolution' debates and approved in both houses in July 2007.
The Regulations make provision in respect of the establishment and operation of a database under section 12 of The Children Act 2004.
The regulations:
- Place a requirement on local authorities to participate in the operation of the database.
- Specify what information will be held.
- Who must or can provide it.
- How long it may be retained.
- Who can be granted access?
How accuracy will be maintained.
Top
|
|
ContactPoint will hold a record for all children under 18 in England containing enough information to identify each child and the contact details of any service provided, for example: school or social worker.
The records will be built from information drawn from a variety of existing sources, both national and local.
ContactPoint will hold:
- Basic information to identify the child - name, address, gender, date of birth and name and address of the child's parent or carer.
- Contact details for services involved with the child: as a minimum, educational setting and GP practice.
- Contact details for specialist or targeted services where appropriate.
There will also be the facility to indicate if a practitioner is a lead professional* for a child and/or if he/she has completed an assessment under the Common Assessment Framework *(the assessment itself will not be held on ContactPoint).
Top
|
4 Will ContactPoint have medical histories, exam results and other personal information on it?
No. ContactPoint cannot hold any case information. It will not contain any information such as case notes or details of any assessments, medical data or exam results. It will not hold subjective observations about a child or their family.
ContactPoint will not hold:
- Assessment or case information.
- Subjective observations about a child or their parent.
- Details such as birth weight, exam results, medical records, diet.
- Any other detailed personal information about a child or their family.
Section 12 of the Children Act 2004 and the supporting Regulations specifically prohibit the inclusion of any case information. ContactPoint can only hold the information specified in the Regulations.
Top
|
|
Many children and young people need extra help or support. They may need this help from more than one person and at different times in their life.
ContactPoint aims 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 will be the quick way for a practitioner to find out who else is working with the same child or young person, making it easier to deliver more coordinated support and speed up service delivery.
The purpose of ContactPoint is to support practitioners, in local authorities and partner organisations in fulfilling a range of statutory duties relating to children.
Lord Laming's 2003 report into the death of Victoria Climbié recommended that the government investigate the feasibility of a database covering all children, providing basic identifying details and contact details for practitioners and services involved with the child.
ContactPoint (formerly called the Information Sharing Index) was established under section 12 of the Children Act 2004 and is part of the Every Child Matters: Change for Children Programme.
Top
|
|
ContactPoint isn't just about child protection. It's also about supporting early intervention for children and young people to ensure they achieve good outcomes. ContactPoint means action can be taken as soon as the first sign of need is noticed, rather than when situations become critical. ContactPoint will also show whether children are receiving the universal services they are entitled to, for example, education and primary healthcare
- It is estimated that at any one time 3-4 million children and young people have needs for additional targeted and specialist services. It is not possible to predict accurately in advance which children will have such needs, or which children will never have them.
- Any child or young person could require the support of additional services at any time in their childhood. It would not help to have to establish a ContactPoint record for the child after deciding they might need additional help. An advantage of ContactPoint is to facilitate discussion at the first sign of need is noticed.
- All children have a right to the universal services of education and primary health care - ContactPoint will show whether or not they are receiving those services and will help trigger action to ensure they do receive them. No assessment or case information will be included on ContactPoint.
Top
|
|
It is essential that the data on ContactPoint is secure and access strictly controlled and monitored. Robust procedures and mechanisms will be in place to guard against access by unauthorised users, and the inappropriate use of ContactPoint by authorised users.
Access to ContactPoint will be strictly limited to those who need it as part of their work and subject to stringent security controls.
Authorised users will include those working in health, education, youth justice, social care and some voluntary organisations to help ensure more coordinated service provision for children and young people.
Everyone with access will have completed relevant mandatory training, have security clearance (including enhanced Criminal Records Bureau disclosure) and 2-factor authentication will be used to access ContactPoint. Users will need a user name and password plus a security token.
All users will be trained in the safe and secure use of the tool, including the importance of compliance with the Data Protection Act and Human Rights Act and will have undergone training in information sharing.
All users will be made aware that all use of ContactPoint will be closely monitored and that misuse will result in disciplinary action or criminal procedures.
Top
|
|
The aim is that ContactPoint should not impose additional burdens on frontline practitioners and that its use should fit conveniently into their daily work. Wherever possible, authorised users will be able to access ContactPoint through their existing case management system (CMS).if this is not possible, they will be able to access it through a secure web link.
For authorised users who do not have appropriate IT system, will be able to access it through another authorised user (mediated access).
It will not be possible to access any case management system or data held by another agency from ContactPoint.
Top
|
|
The ContactPoint database will be built from four main data sources:
- Department for Children, Schools and Families.
- Department for Work and Pensions.
- National Health Service.
- Office for National Statistics.
Data from these sources will be matched and one National Child Database will be produced.
A Local Authority will then receive its local data from this National Database, and will then match and update this data from its own data sources, returning the updated information back to the National Database.
This updating will be done on a regular basis and in time other data sources such as National and Local Voluntary Agencies, and other related bodies will be able to contribute their data to produce as complete a database as possible.
Top
|
10 How will you ensure ContactPoint is accurate and up-to-date?
Wherever possible, ContactPoint will be automatically updated from existing systems so that practitioners will not need to enter the same information twice. When information has been updated in these systems it will be sent automatically to ContactPoint as an update.
ContactPoint will only be able to receive the basic information as set out in Section 12 of the Children Act 2004 and the supporting Regulations, which specifically prohibit the inclusion of any case information.
Those required or permitted to supply information to ContactPoint must take reasonable steps to ensure the information is accurate. They already have an obligation for data accuracy under the Data Protection Act 1998.
If a local authority considers that there are inaccuracies or omitted information in a record for which it is responsible, the authority must take reasonable steps to correct the inaccuracy or to complete the record.
It will not be possible to access any case management system or case data held by another agency from ContactPoint.
Top
|
|
Security
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, authorised users will need a minimum of a personal security token, user name and a password. Every access will be detailed in the audit trail, which will be reviewed regularly. It will be possible to shield records.
A shielded record is when it believed the individual whose circumstances may mean that they are at increased risk of significant harm, may be able to have some of their details hidden - i.e. shielded.
Top
|
12 What information will be shown on a shielded record?
Shielded records will show only:
- the child's/young person's name;
- their date of birth;
- their gender; and
- the unique ContactPoint ID number.
- Information that could help locate individuals at risk will not be visible
Before being granted access, all users will complete mandatory training, which will include the safe and secure use of ContactPoint and the importance of compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and Human Rights Act 1998.
All users will have to state clear reasons in order to gain access to a child's record and all use of the system will be monitored and audited. Users will be made aware that any misuse will lead to appropriate sanctions. These sanctions can include, if appropriate, fines or imprisonment under the provisions of the Data Protection Act and Computer Misuse Act. All users of ContactPoint will be monitored and audited by the local ContactPoint Team.
Consent
Explicit consent will be required to record contact details for sensitive services (defined as sexual/mental health and substance misuse). Access to this information will be restricted.
Consent will also be required for care leavers or those with learning difficulties to remain on ContactPoint up to age 25, to facilitate the transition to adult services.
Information
ContactPoint will not contain any case information (such as case notes, assessments and medical data or exam results).
Top
|
|
Yes. Children and young people, and parents when acting on a child's behalf, have rights under the Data Protection Act to see the information that is held about them and, if any data is found to be incorrect, to request that it be corrected.
Top
|
|
In most cases, a record will be removed from ContactPoint when a person turns 18. There is a facility for the records of some young adults to stay on ContactPoint until they are 25, but only for very limited reasons and only with explicit consent.
When a record is removed from ContactPoint it will be held in a secure archive for six years and then destroyed. The archive can only be accessed for the limited reasons which are set out in Regulations (this includes a Local Safeguarding Children Board serious case review or investigation into a child death).
Top
|
15 Can I choose to exclude children and young person information from ContactPoint?
No. ContactPoint will hold records on all Children and young people resident in England.
Top
|
|
In law, ContactPoint will hold records on all children resident in England. Records would only be shielded exceptionally and in particular circumstances, when not doing so would:
- place a child at increased risk of significant harm;
- put a child's placement at risk (in the case of adoption);
- place an adult at risk of significant harm; and/or
- prejudice the prevention or detection of a serious crime.
Such cases could arise for example where the:
- child/young person is adopted where there is little or no contact with birth parent(s) or wider family members;
- child/young person and/or their parent/carer, are fleeing abuse or domestic violence; and/or
- child/young person and/or their parent/carer or family member are subject to police protection.
Shielding decisions will be taken on a case by case basis. All shielding decisions are reviewed every six months. Child records cannot be shielded simply because the child or young person, or the parent/carer acting on their behalf objects to ContactPoint.
Top
|
17 What are the arrangements for 'shielding'? How does a family go about applying to have their children's or young person records shielded?
The Department for Children, School and Family (DCSF) is working with local authorities on shielding. Guidance as been issued to support work on shielding and to ensure we have robust processes in place, before ContactPoint is made available to practitioners. Further guidance from the DCSF is expected shortly.
If an individual has concerns for a child's safety, the priority is to ensure appropriate safeguarding measures are put in place. The Local Authority and partner agencies have existing procedures to deal with this. This will include shielding records on ContactPoint,
ContactPoint will be a secure system, with access granted only to authorised practitioners. Their use will be audited and acted upon when appropriate. It is recognised that, in exceptional cases, information for some children will need to be shielded.
Top
|
|
|
|
A range of proactive communications locally will help ensure people have information about ContactPoint. These are being planned and will be linked into national developments and the local implementation of ContactPoint, currently scheduled for mid-2009. As part of this work we will make information about shielding records available throughout Staffordshire.
Top
|
19 Will young people be told how to apply for shielding on their own behalf?
It is important to understand that our local shielding decisions will be based on criteria set out in regulations and guidance. The Department for Children, Schools and Family's (DCSF) will be informed once our initial shielding work is complete. ContactPoint will not be available to any practitioner users until all local authorities have done this. Further guidance from DCSF is expected about the later stages of the shielding process, ContactPoint will be available to practitioners in Staffordshire next summer and therefore this work is in the early stages.
Top
|
|
ContactPoint is expected in Staffordshire Summer 2009. If you would like to find out more about the implementation of ContactPoint in Staffordshire please contact Mike.wood@staffordshire.gov.uk or Amanda.edwards@staffordshire.gov.uk
Top
|