ContactPoint

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

ContactPoint (with the previous working title of Information Sharing Index (or IS Index or ISI); also the Children's Index) is a planned government database that will hold information on all children under 18 in England, designed by Capgemini. The proposals were made in response to the abuse and death of eight-year-old Victoria Climbié in 2000 in England – in which it was found that various agencies involved in her care had failed to prevent her death – to improve child protection by improving the way information about children is shared between services.

The database, created under the Children Act 2004, will cost £224m to set up and £41m a year to run. It will be operating in 150 local authorities, and be accessible to at least 330,000 users. The database has gone through the pilot phase and will be fully operational by the end of 2008. The database has been heavily criticised from a wide range of groups, mainly for privacy, security and child protection reasons.

Contents

[edit] Development

See also: Murder of Victoria Climbié

In spring 1999, Victoria Climbié (born 2 November 1991 — 25 February 2000 in Abobo, Ivory Coast) and her great aunt Marie-Thérèse Kouao arrived in London, sent by her parents for a chance of an education. A few months later, Kouao met Carl Manning on a bus which he was driving, and she and Victoria moved into his flat. It was here that she was abused, including being beaten with hammers, bike chains, and wires; being forced to sleep in a bin liner in the bath; and being tied up for periods of longer than 24 hours. Up to her death, the police, the social services of many local authorities, the NHS, the NSPCC, and local churches all had contact with her, and noted the signs of abuse. However, in what the judge in the trial following Victoria's death described as "blinding incompetence",[1] all failed to properly investigate the abuse and little action was taken. On 24 February 2000, Victoria was admitted into an accident-and-emergency department, semi-unconscious and suffering from hypothermia, multiple organ failure and malnutrition. She died the next day, aged eight. On 20 November 2000, her guardians, Marie Thérèse Kouao and Carl Manning, were charged with child cruelty and murder; on 12 January 2001, both were found guilty, and sentenced to life imprisonment.[2]

Victoria's death led to a public inquiry, launched on 31 May 2001[3] and chaired by Herbert Laming, which investigated the role of the agencies involved in her care.[4] The report, published on 28 January 2003,[5] found that the agencies involved in her care failed to protect her and that on at least 12 occasions, workers involved in her case could have prevented her death. The Laming report led to, amongst other things, the creation of the Every Child Matters programme, which consists of three green papers: Every Child Matters, published in September 2003; Every Child Matters: The Next Steps, published in early 2004; and Every Child Matters: Change for Children, published in November 2004.[6][7] The database proposals were announced in September 2003,[8] alongside the publication of Every Child Matters, and is being created under Section 12 of the Children Act 2004. The idea of a child database, however, preceded the Laming report and was suggested in a report, Privacy and Data Sharing: The Way Forward for Public Services, by the Performance and Innovation Unit, published on 11 April 2002 – over a year before the Laming report – and was not related to child abuse.[9]

The pilot schemes (designated as identification, referral and tracking (IRT) schemes) began with Bolton council in 2003[10] and was used by eleven other local authorities.[11] There were doubts as to the legality of Bolton council obtaining data of children from the local Primary Care Trust to put on the database, but the council was eventually advised that it was legal. The other pilot areas followed, in different ways.[12] On 8 December 2005, the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, Ruth Kelly, made the official announcement of the introduction of the database, confirmed by the Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families, Beverley Hughes.[13][14][15]

To allow the introduction of the database, the government required all local authorities to implement the Integrated Children's System, a framework to help improve outcomes for children. The government set a deadline of 1 January 2007, and 92 out of the 150 local authorities failed to achieve this.[16] The government began a consultation on the 2007 draft regulations[17] on 21 September 2006 which ended on 14 December 2006.[18] In October 2006, the government selected Capgemini to design the database.[19][20] On 15 February 2007, the database was renamed from Information Sharing Index to ContactPoint, following research with stakeholder groups, including children and families, who decided that the name ContactPoint made clear what the purpose of the database was: to improve communication between those working with children.[21][22] A consultation on a guide for database users[23] was launched on 4 May 2007 and ended on 27 July 2007.[24]

The database is expected to cost £224m to set up, spread over three years beginning December 2005 (therefore costing £81m a year for the first three years), and £41m a year thereafter. The database, which will be operating in 150 local authorities and will be accessible by at least 330,000 users,[25] was expected to be fully operational by the end of 2008; however, following the 2007 UK child benefit data scandal, the deadline was pushed back for five months to allow a security review prior to implementation.[26] Training for the workers had been planned begin in spring 2008.[27]

[edit] Use

The government says the database was set up to improve child protection by improving the way information about children is shared between services. Only professionals whose job involves supporting children will be able to access the database, and they will be required to undergo enhanced Criminal Records Bureau checks and training.[28] Each local authority will decide who may access the database provided their role is listed in the ContactPoint Regulations. Users will need to provide a reason for accessing a record, and an audit trail will be kept on access to the database to help detect misuse.[29] Professionals who have completed a Common Assessment Framework,[30] a tool used to assess a child's situation, will be able to record on a child's record that they have carried out this assessment. No information contained in this assessment will be held on ContactPoint. Under the Data Protection Act, all organisations supplying data to the database will have to inform children and guardians through fair-processing notices.[31] Subjects of the database can make access requests, in writing, to view any personal data that organisations hold on them on the database and to correct any mistakes. The government estimates that the benefit of reducing unproductive work time using the database is valued at more than £88m.[32]

[edit] Content

The entries for each child are to consist of:

  • name, address, gender and date of birth;
  • a unique identifying number;
  • the name and contact details of any person with parental responsibility or who has care of him at any time;
  • details of any education being received by him, including details of any educational institution attended;
  • the name and contact details of any person providing primary medical and other services specified by the Secretary of State;
  • information as to the existence of any cause for concern in relation to him;
  • other information, not including medical records or other personal records, specified by the Secretary of State.[33]

The database will not hold case or assessment material or any subjective observations. The database can include information of a ‘sensitive’ nature, defined as issues relating to sexual health, mental health and substance abuse,[17] although consent from the child or the child’s guardians is needed, and it will not appear as such on the database; it will only note that the child is receiving help from 'sensitive services' and will not say what this is. Refusal of consent can be overridden if this can be justified.[23] Margaret Hodge, then children’s minister, has said that drug or alcohol use by parents, relatives and neighbours, together with other aspects of their behaviour, may be recorded.[34] Government guidelines reveal that other information recorded may include 'family routines', evidence of a 'disorgan-ised/chaotic lifestyle', 'ways in which the family’s income is used', signs of mental illness or alcohol misuse by relatives, and 'any serious difficulties in the parents’ relationship'.[35]

In August 2006, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) announced that the database will not include telephone numbers or addresses of celebrities' children, nor of those of children with violent parents.[36] Records of children who may be at risk could be 'shielded'; this will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

The technical specification for ContactPoint does not include the capacity to store biometric data.[37]

[edit] Coverage

The database will hold information on about 11 million children. Records will be kept until six years after the child turns 18, or if they leave England and Wales with no intention of returning.[38] The database can also apply to 18–25-year-olds who are care leavers or have learning disabilities (although the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child only applies to those under 18 in England and Wales), and their permission is needed.[39]

[edit] Criticism

There have been significant privacy concerns about the database. The Foundation for Information Policy Research produced a report in November 2006, Children’s Databases – Privacy and Safety, saying the database guidelines ignored family values and privacy, and that the details on the database needs to be "looked at carefully".[40] The government responded by saying they had "serious reservations about [the] report's objectivity and evidence base". Terri Dowty, one of the report's authors, replied, "it's an appalling aspersion to throw at some of the leading academics in this field. I'm astonished they are challenging the evidence we used since much of the evidence in the report is from the Government itself."[41] Action on Rights for Children said that the proposals invade a child's right to privacy given by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while the Joint Committee on Human Rights said that the "serious interference" with the rights under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights – the right to respect for private life – seems to be "difficult to justify".[42] Liberty, a civil liberties interest group, said governments should not interfere with family life, warning against complacency "about the importance of privacy in a free society".[43] The British Medical Association raised concerns that it may breach doctor–patient confidentiality.[44] The phrase 'any cause for concern' has been criticised as being potential overly wide-ranging and intrusive,[45] and there are fears of function creep.[46] A study by the Office of the Children's Commissioner, 'I think it’s about trust': The views of young people on information sharing, found that children themselves were concerned about invasions of their privacy, and that they would be reluctant to use 'sensitive services' if this would go on the database.[47][48]

Commentators have expressed concern about the country's increasing surveillance. In August 2004, the information commissioner, Richard Thomas, drawing a parallel with the way that governments in Eastern Europe and Spain gained too much power and information in the 20th century, expressed concern over this and other national databases, including the Citizen Information Project, NHS National Programme for IT, and the introduction of identity cards, warning that there was a danger of the country "sleepwalk[ing] into a surveillance society".[49][50] On 18 April 2006, Des Browne, the secretary of state for defence, said "the Department for Education and Skills should also consider whether there is scope to realise further efficiency and effectiveness benefits through a child population register",[51] and it is thought that the database may be used in conjunction with the National Identity Register and other databases.[52][53] Phil Booth, national coordinator of NO2ID, a group opposing identity cards, said this was "cradle-to-grave surveillance".[54] Conservative Party member of parliament Oliver Heald said, 'there is already public concern at government plans for a compulsory identity card database, a nanny state children's database and a property database for the council tax revaluation'.[55] Liz Davies of London Metropolitan University argued that "ContactPoint, the new database for every child in the country, is in effect a population-surveillance tool" and that "for five years, the system to prevent child abuse has been vanishing before our eyes".[56] Fiona Nicholson of Education Otherwise, a home-education support group, agreed with this assessment and said that "frontline staff working to protect vulnerable children have also expressed disbelief that investing hundreds of millions in IT can be the best way to safeguard children". Laming, however, said that Davies' assertion was a "gross distortion of what is an intelligent application of technology aimed at ensuring every child benefits from the universal services".[57] Privacy International awarded Hodge the 2004 Big Brother Award for "Worst Public Servant", partly due to her backing of the database.[58]

Security concerns about the database have been significant, and commentators have said that there is a large risk of abuse of the system.[59] Evidence presented in 2006 to the management board of the Leeds NHS Trust showed that in one month the 14,000 staff logged 70,000 incidents of inappropriate access.[60] Sex offenders targeting children may use the database to find vulnerable victims.[61][62] The celebrity exclusions have been attacked, with critics saying that it underlined fears about security, and that government ministers may decide to exclude their own children from the database.[36][63] The proposals may break data protection and human rights laws.

Some have said that the database may lead to self-fulfilling prophecies, where children from difficult backgrounds are treated as potential delinquents.[64] The government have been accused of using the public's response to the death of Victoria Climbié to force through the unpopular proposal and to curb civil liberties.[65] There are concerns that the database will undermine child protection and parents, weakening the power of parents to look after children, and will 'do more harm than good'.[66][67] The sheer size of the database could mean that serious cases are overlooked due to the abundance of minor incidents.[68] There have been doubts towards the government’s estimate of the cost of the database. The information commissioner estimates it at £1bn,[69] which Hodge said was "absurd",[70] and others have raised concerns over the cost,[71] noting that government projects tend to go over-budget. Some have questioned children’s ability to give informed consent in their own right. Mary Marsh, chief executive of the NSPCC, wanted the database to cover the whole of the United Kingdom, not just England and Wales, saying "the information held would be only partial and potentially worse than useless".[72] On 27 June 2006, a child protection conference, 'Children: Over Surveilled, Under Protected',[73] held at the London School of Economics, reached the conclusion that the database will do nothing to prevent child abuse, and that it will undermine parents' ability to look after their children.[74][75]

The government have rejected most of the negative criticism. The DfES said that the database will only contain basic information and "will certainly not be including any information on children's diet or school attainment".[43] Laming has said that information for every child needs to be kept so that they would not be at risk.[76] The government have denied any possibility of function creep. They have rebuttal the concerns over privacy, with a spokesman for the DfES saying "we are conscious of the need to respect personal privacy".[77] Hodge has said that the database will be secure, that it will not undermine child protection and that it will help various agencies share information.[69] Hughes has said that the database will be secure and that "we are confident we are doing all we can to ensure security".[78] The government have said that they are confident that the database complies with the Data Protection Act and the Human Rights Act.[79] Paul Ennals, chief executive of the National Children's Bureau, said, "the index is a proportionate response to a continuing problem and any action that helps reduce the number of children who slip through the net must be welcome".[80]

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Inquiry into Climbie officials", BBC, 12 January 2001. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  2. ^ "Timeline: Victoria Climbie", BBC, 28 January 2003. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  3. ^ "Victoria (Anna) Climbié inquiry is launched", The Victoria Climbié Inquiry, 31 May 2007. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  4. ^ "About the Inquiry", The Victoria Climbié Inquiry. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  5. ^ "Victoria Climbié Report Calls for Radical Change in the Management of Public Services for Children and Families", 28 January 2003; Report of an InquiryPDF (1.74 MiB), 28 January 2003. The Victoria Climbié Inquiry. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  6. ^ "Every Child Matters: Change for Children", teachernet.gov.uk. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  7. ^ "Background to Every Child Matters", everychildmatters.gov.uk. 10 May 2005. Retrieved on 27 June 2007
  8. ^ Batty, David; Carvel, John, "Plan to keep file on every child", The Guardian, 9 September 2003. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  9. ^ Munro, Eileen, "National child database will increase risk", The Guardian, 6 April 2004. "Privacy and Data Sharing: The Way Forward for Public Services"PDF (951 KiB), Performance and Innovation Unit, 11 April 2002. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  10. ^ Batty, David, "Bolton kick-starts child database pilot", The Guardian, 12 November 2003. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  11. ^ The twelve local authorities were Barnsley; Bolton; Coventry; Cumbria; Dorset with Bournemouth and Poole; Gateshead; Knowsley; Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland; Nottinghamshire; Sheffield; Telford and Wrekin and Shropshire; and Wandsworth. Children Act – The Index, Action on Rights for Children, April 2004. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  12. ^ Carvel, John, "All eyes on the child", The Guardian, 19 May 2004. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  13. ^ House of Commons Hansard Written Ministerial Statements for 8 Dec 2005 (pt 1), Column 114WS, United Kingdom Parliament, 8 December 2005. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  14. ^ "Better services for children as government acts on Lord Laming recommendation", Department for Education and Skills, 8 December 2005. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  15. ^ Lightfoot, Liz, "Information on every child to be kept in new database", The Daily Telegraph, 9 December 2005. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  16. ^ Kablenet, "Councils to miss child database deadline", The Register, 11 December 2006. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  17. ^ a b The Information Sharing Index (England) Regulations 2007PDF (78.7 KiB), Department for Education and Skills, 2007. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  18. ^ "ContactPoint*: Consultation on Draft Information Sharing Index (England) Regulations and Partial Regulatory Impact Assessment", Department for Education and Skills. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  19. ^ McCue, Andy, "Capgemini to design £224m national child database", silicon.com, 12 October 2006. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  20. ^ Lipowicz, Alice, "Capgemini captures $400M UK database deal", washingtontechnology.com, 18 October 2006. Retrieved on 27 June 2006.
  21. ^ Children's Services: Local Authority CircularPDF (92.1 KiB), Department for Education and Skills, 8 March 2007. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  22. ^ "ContactPoint – formerly known as the Information Sharing Index", Nottingham City Council, February/March 2007. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  23. ^ a b "Information sharing: Practitioner's guide"PDF (460 KiB), Department for Education and Skills. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  24. ^ "ContactPoint: Consultation on Draft Guidance", Department for Education and Skills. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  25. ^ Ward, Lucy, "330,000 users to have access to database on England’s children", The Guardian, 27 June 2007. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  26. ^ "Child database system postponed",BBC News,27 June 2007.
  27. ^ "Information sharing: Training on child index set for 2008", Children Now, 23 May 2007. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  28. ^ "ContactPoint in Reading, Reading Borough Council. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  29. ^ "Child index: Information sharing: your questions answered ", Children Now, 2 May 2007. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  30. ^ See the Common Assessment Framework form at: CAF formPDF (78.0 KiB), everychildmatters.gov.uk. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  31. ^ "Children’s Database Guidance Consultation Launched", participationworks.org.uk, 31 May 2007. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  32. ^ "Information Sharing Index", North Tyneside Council. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  33. ^ Children Act 2004, Part 2, Section 12, Office of Public Sector Information. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  34. ^ Batty, David, "Hodge named 'worst public servant'", The Guardian, 29 July 2004. Retrieved 27 June 2007.
  35. ^ Child database will ‘pry into family life’, The Sunday Times, published 2008-04-06, accessed 2008-04-17
  36. ^ a b Batty, David, "Child database attacked over celebrity exclusions", The Guardian, 31 August 2006. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  37. ^ House of Commons Hansard Written Answers to Questions for 28 Mar 2007 : Column 1543W, United Kingdom Parliament, 28 March 2007. Retrieved on 21 September 2007.
  38. ^ Payne, Lisa, "Briefing: Crib sheet - Information sharing", Children Now, 13 June 2007. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  39. ^ About ContactPoint, everychildmatters.gov.uk, 10 May 2007. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  40. ^ "IT systems designed to protect kids will put them at risk instead"; Children's Databases – Safety and PrivacyPDF (1.16 MiB), Foundation for Information Policy Research, 22 November 2006. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  41. ^ Donovan, Tristan, "Social Care News: Information sharing - Academics clash with DfES over report", Children Now, 29 November 2006. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  42. ^ Joint Committee On Human Rights - Nineteenth Report, Joint Committee on Human Rights, 21 September 2004. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  43. ^ a b "Concerns over new child database", BBC, 27 June 2006. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  44. ^ Batty, David, "BMA raises concern over child databases", The Guardian, 29 October 2003. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  45. ^ Ward, Lucy, "'Flags of concern' on child database", The Guardian, 28 October 2004. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  46. ^ "Watchdog's Big Brother UK warning", BBC, 16 August 2004. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  47. ^ "I think it’s about trust: The views of young people on information sharing"; Hilton, Zoe; Mills, Chris, 'I think it’s about trust': The views of young people on information sharingPDF (384 KiB), NSPCC, September 2006. Retrieved on 27 June 2006.
  48. ^ Batty, David, "Children fear intrusion of national database, report finds", The Guardian, 8 September 2006. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  49. ^ "UK Information Commissioner Warns of ID Cards and Surveillance Society", Privacy International, 16 August 2004. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  50. ^ "Watchdog's Big Brother UK warning", 16 August 2004; "Trust warning over personal data", 13 July 2006. BBC. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  51. ^ House of Commons Hansard Written Ministerial Statements for 18 Apr 2006 (pt 1), Column 1WS, United Kingdom Parliament, 18 April 2006. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  52. ^ "7. The Children's Index", Action on Rights for Children. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  53. ^ Boggan, Steve, "No more secrets", The Guardian, 27 February 2007. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  54. ^ "Information sharing - Child index could link to ID cards", Children Now, 26 April 2006. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  55. ^ Priestley, Sally, "Minister defends data-sharing scheme", epolitix.com, 14 September 2006. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  56. ^ Davies, Liz, "Our children have less protection now than did Victoria Climbié", The Guardian, 28 February 2007. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  57. ^ "Pros and cons of the children's database", The Guardian, 2 March 2007. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  58. ^ "Privacy International Announces Winners of 6th Annual Big Brother Awards", Privacy International, 28 July 2004. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  59. ^ Meikle, James, "Schools warn of abuse risk from IT database", The Guardian, 22 June 2007. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  60. ^ "ContactPoint is open to potential abuse", The Guardian, 22 June 2007. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  61. ^ "Privacy row erupts over child database", The Daily Mail, 30 August 2006. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  62. ^ "Is the 'Children's Index' an invasion of privacy?", The Daily Telegraph, 31 August 2006. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  63. ^ Womack, Sarah, "Celebrity children will get database privacy", The Daily Telegraph, 2 September 2006. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  64. ^ Goodwin, Bill, "Experts criticise government child database plans", Computer Weekly, 22 November 2006. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  65. ^ Clements, David, "Every Child Matters – but so does our privacy", Spiked, 16 October 2006. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  66. ^ Batty, David, "Database 'will undermine child protection'", The Guardian, 24 January 2005. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  67. ^ Searing, Hilary, "Why Social Workers Oppose the Child Database", radical.org.uk, June 2006. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  68. ^ Batty, David, "Child protection overhaul ‘could lead to false alarms", The Guardian, 4 March 2004. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  69. ^ a b "Child database could be new IT fiasco, says Hodge", The Guardian, 9 February 2005. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  70. ^ Ward, Lucy, "Hodge defends IT project", The Guardian, 10 February 2005. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  71. ^ Batty, David, "Information overload", The Guardian, 18 February 2005. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  72. ^ "Child index: NSPCC demands a UK-wide database", Children Now, 4 October 2006. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  73. ^ Children: Over Surveilled, Under Protected, London School of Economics. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  74. ^ Bristow, Jennie, "Children: over-surveilled, under-protected", Spiked, 20 July 2006. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  75. ^ Donovan, Tristan, "Information sharing: Government faces growing opposition to child index", Children Now, 5 July 2006. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  76. ^ "'Children at risk without database'", BBC, 28 June 2005. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  77. ^ "Database details 'harm children'", BBC, 22 November 2006. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  78. ^ "The ContactPoint system is secure", The Guardian, 26 June 2007. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  79. ^ ContactPoint: legislation, everychildmatters.gov.uk, 16 February 2007. Retrieved on 27 June 2007.
  80. ^ "Analysis: Information sharing - Index plans get a warm welcome", Children Now, 11 January 2006. Retrieved on 27 June 2006.

[edit] External links