ContactPoint

ContactPoint is a national development which will enable professionals to identify quickly who else is working with the same child or young person, enabling them to deliver more coordinated support. It is part of the Government’s Every Child Matters programme to improve the health, safety and wellbeing of all children.

This secure online database holds basic identifying information for all children and young people in England up to the age of 18 and between 18 and 25 with the young persons consent. It includes their name, address, date of birth and gender. It also contains the contact details for their parents and carers, doctor, school, and any other professionals working with them, such as social care or youth workers.

Its Regulations and Guidance fall under Section 12 of The Children Act 2004. It will not hold assessment details, case information or subjective observations. The Department for Children, Schools and Families and local authorities are responsible for ContactPoint, with latter being responsible for the information of children living in their area.

Nearly every report that has looked into failures to protect children has highlighted the lack of information sharing as a key concern and it can be time consuming finding out who else is working with a child. ContactPoint will enable practitioners to ascertain other services working with a child or young person and contact each other quickly and easily. By saving time, ContactPoint will facilitate professionals to deliver services instead of trying to track down other practitioners or unknowingly duplicating work.

Access to the information held on the database will be restricted to authorised staff that need it to do their jobs. All users will have undertaken relevant training and have had an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check before access is granted. The system is monitored to ensure that it is being used appropriately.

Further reading

• Local Implementation of ContactPoint in Devon
• Shielding
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Contact

Associated documents

Format	Title	Date
	ContactPoint Guidance	July 2008
	ContactPoint Factsheet	January 2010
	Introducing ContactPoint: Helping to keep children safe and healthy	N/A
	Early Adopter Case Study Helping to ensure children do not slip through the net of support services	November 2009
	Early Adopter Case Study Saving time and supporting faster, more joined-up service delivery	November 2009
	Early Adopter Case Study Helping to identify and support children missing education	November 2009