The national child database needs a rethink, say Tories

Tories attack plans for national child database

MPs concerned about effect of yet another government database

Written by Parliamentary reporter

Computing, 20 Mar 2008

The Tories are to step up pressure on the government over the risks posed by the ContactPoint national child database after children's minister Kevin Brennan denied that a report from consultants warned of "a number of security failings" in the way it has been set up.

Brennan told MPs the database "has been developed very much with security in mind" to increase child protection.

He claimed it would help identify young people at risk from forced marriages and enable local protection authorities to act.

Under pressure from opposition MPs during a Commons questions session, Brennan said ContactPoint and other databases "exist to promote the welfare of children and young people".

The system is one of a number of IT initiatives proposed as a result of the Laming inquiry into the Victoria Climbie case to "enable professionals working with children to identify the other professionals working with them".

Tory shadow home affairs minister James Brokenshire said the Deloitte report highlighted "significant data risks" by "creating a honey effect" for child abusers.

Basingstoke Conservative MP Maria Miller warned of "growing concern about IT database overload" in the department with ContactPoint, Connexions and nine other databases involving children connected to them.

Brokenshire said the main threat posed by ContactPoint lay in the way information from it "cascades" to a number of systems operated by organisations outside the department. He warned of the "mindset" of this and other government departments believing the answer to their problems lay in bigger and better databases.

"There are significant risks in putting so much data in one basket available through different organisations. That is why the government should think again,” he said.

"They need a much more slimmed-down version which focuses on genuinely vulnerable children who are at risk rather than trying to capture huge swathes of data and increase the risk of data not being picked up and gaps occurring as well as data security breaches and data abuse. We intend to keep up pressure on the government."