ContactPoint

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 and the Children’s Plan, to improve the health, well-being and safety of all children. If practitioners working with a child know about each other they can find the right support quickly, before problems get more serious.
What will the benefits be?
The practitioners who were involved in local ‘trailblazer’ pilots demonstrated some key benefits:

• Less time trying to find other practitioners working with the same child. Currently practitioners can spend days trying to find the right person.
• Quicker assessment of whether a child is receiving universal services (education, primary health care).
• Enables more effective multi-agency working which leads to less duplication of work and a better service experience for children and young people.

They also helped to establish that ContactPoint should be a national system to ensure it works for children who receive services across, or move across, local authority boundaries.

What information is on ContactPoint?

ContactPoint holds the following information:

• Name, address, gender, date of birth and an identifying number for all children in England (up to their 18th birthday).
• Name and contact details for:
  - parents or carers
  - educational setting (e.g. school)
  - primary medical practitioner (e.g. GP practice)
  - other services working with the child.
• Indicator to show if a practitioner is the lead professional for a child and/or if they have completed an assessment under the Common Assessment Framework (CAF).

Explicit consent will be required to record contact details for sensitive services (defined as sexual health, mental health and substance abuse). ContactPoint does not and will not contain any case information (such as case notes, assessments, medical data or exam results).

Will it be secure?

Security is a top priority and there are a significant set of security measures in place. ContactPoint meets recognised assurance levels for security. Regular testing will continue to be carried out.

Who will have access?

Access to ContactPoint is strictly limited to those who need it to do their job. This will include those working in education, health, social care, youth justice and some voluntary organisations. Before being granted access, all authorised users must have completed identity checks, enhanced Criminal Records Bureau disclosure and mandatory training. To access the system all users will need a unique user name, password, security token and PIN. Access will be audited and monitored.
Authorised users will be able to access ContactPoint through their case management systems, through a secure web link or through another authorised user (known as mediated access). It will not be possible for any user to access a case management system held by another agency.

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. The information held on ContactPoint will not be sent to or shared with any other systems.

What is the legal basis?

The Regulations made under section 12 of the Children Act 2004 provide the legal framework for ContactPoint, and which came into force on 1 August 2007.

When will ContactPoint be available?

In Herefordshire, ContactPoint will be going live to practitioners early in 2010. Nationally, ContactPoint is being delivered in phases. This began in early 2009, starting with the ContactPoint Early Adopters - 18 local authorities in the North West and two national partners, Barnardo's and KIDS. In May, and for a period of several weeks, the Early Adopters trained a limited number of practitioners to use ContactPoint. These practitioners, who must all go through stringent security checks and training before accessing the system, are being carefully monitored in order to evaluate their experience of using the system.

Resources

ContactPoint Fact Sheet

Adobe PDF

70 kb

ContactPoint Q&A

Adobe PDF

51 kb

If you need help to understand a document, or would like it in another format or language, please call 01432 260500 or email info@herefordshire.gov.uk

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