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ContactPoint is a key element of the Every Child Matters (ECM) programme to transform children's services by supporting more effective prevention and early intervention.
This page describes the type of information held on ContactPoint. You can also find out more by downloading the ContactPoint factsheet or Q&A, or by browsing the other ContactPoint pages in this section of the website.
ContactPoint is one of a range of tools that helps services work together effectively on the frontline to meet the needs of children, young people and their families. You can read more in the Integrated working section of this website, or download Integrated working factsheets from the resources and practice section of this website.
Information held on ContactPoint
ContactPoint holds the following basic information for each child in England up until their 18th birthday:
- name, address, gender, date of birth and a unique identifying number
- name and contact details for each child's parent or carer
- contact details for services working with a child: as a minimum, educational setting (such as school) and GP practice
- contact details for other service providers where appropriate, for example health visitor or social worker; and whether a practitioner is the lead professional or has undertaken an assessment under the Common Assessment Framework (CAF). Please note these are not currently held on the system but will be added over time.
People providing a sensitive service (defined as those in the fields of sexual health, mental health and substance abuse) are required to seek informed, explicit consent from the child or young person (and their parent or carer where appropriate) before recording their contact details on ContactPoint. Where they are recorded, only an indication of an unspecified service is visible.
Informed, explicit consent is also required for care leavers, or for those with learning difficulties to remain on ContactPoint up to the of age 25, to facilitate the transition to adult services.
ContactPoint does not and will never hold:
- assessment or case information
- details such as birth weight, examination results, medical records, or dietary habits
- subjective information about a child, or their parents or carers.
Some people may have some of their details hidden on ContactPoint to prevent their location being visible on the system – this is called shielding. The Shielding factsheet explains how and why records are shielded on ContactPoint.
Associated documents
ContactPoint: Shielding factsheet
(38.7Kb)
Download the contents of this page:
as a Word Document
Last updated on 27/11/2009
