About ContactPoint
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. You can read more about integrated working on this website.
Information held on ContactPoint
ContactPoint holds the following basic information for all children in England (up until their 18th birthday):
- Name, address, gender, date of birth and a unique identifying number.
- Name and contact details for a child's parent(s) or
carer(s).
- Contact details for services working with a child: as a minimum,
educational setting (e.g. school) and GP practice.
- Contact details for other service providers where appropriate, for
example a health visitor or social worker; and whether a practitioner is a lead
professional and if they have undertaken an assessment under the Common
Assessment Framework. Please note these are not currently held on the
system they will be added over time.
Those providing a sensitive service (defined as those in the fields of sexual health, mental health and substance abuse) will be required to seek informed, explicit consent from the child or young person (or their parent/carer where appropriate) before recording their contact details on ContactPoint. Where they are recorded, only an indication of an unspecified service would be visible.
Informed, explicit 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.
ContactPoint does not and will never hold:
- Any assessment or case information.
- Details such as birth weight, exam results, medical records, or diet.
- Subjective information about a child or their parent(s) or carer(s).
The information that can be held on ContactPoint is limited by law as provided by Section 12 of the Children Act 2004 and the supporting Regulations. Read more about the legislative background and Regulations
ContactPoint moved into its first stage of delivery in January 2009.
Documents
ContactPoint
factsheet
Includes a set of factsheets relating to Integrated
Working
ContactPoint
Q&A
ContactPoint
shielding factsheet
A summary of information about how and why records are shielded on
ContactPoint.
This page was last updated on 25 March 2009
