Well blow me, whaddaya know? ContactPoint has been 'temporarily suspended' due to security problems - no s*** Sherlock!! The problem apparently is to do with flaws in the 'shielding' system that prohibits others seeing confidential information.
This is exactly the issue that children and young people I have worked with raised when we were consulting about ContactPoint, and I don't mind telling you that I was shouted down by management as some kind of loony radical when raising concerns about the security thresholds on ContactPoint.
One lad said 'I don't want teachers finding out what has been happening to me in the children's home, who I've been fighting with or whether I've been to your service either - these things are meant to be confidential and anyone could end up reading about me without my choice.'
Another girl said 'What if someone who knows my dad gets to read about me and he finds out where I am?' Scary stuff for a fourteen year old.
Some of us have long argued that ContactPoint, whilst having good intentions, compromises children's right to confidentiality and compromises some of the services that offer confidentiality too. It has been argued that safeguarding is more important than confidentiality but as those working in the field will know, encouraging the more vulnerable young people to use services is a task in itself.
We always explained our confidentiality policies and procedures which most youngsters understood, but at least the information stayed within the organisation.
Someone from the DCSF has 'promised' that no child's records will be uploaded onto ContactPoint until the security issues are resolved. I'm glad to hear it, but want more than a promise, thanks.
I'm glad that the flaws have been discovered now, and not after the whole system goes live. I am also really interested to find out more about the report that claims that ContactPoint is illegal under human rights and data protection law.
It's what we were saying two years ago, and were told we were being ridiculous. In the need to ensure that children's safety is paramount it feels to me that we are somehow missing the point about ContactPoint. Is it really going to be watertight and as secure as we are being promised? Or might it actually compromise children? What do others think?