Speaking at the annual Safeguarding London’s Children Conference, sponsored by CYP Now, Loughton told delegates that he has been concerned about the health sector’s contribution to safeguarding for some time.
"I think health is usually the weak link," he explained. "Too often health is not fully integrated into child protection. I had a meeting in my constituency a few weeks ago with a large group of GPs and I asked them what they thought about us having closed ContactPoint.
"With the exception of a senior GP there whose daughter goes to an independent school that waged a very effective campaign against ContactPoint and urged all their parents to write to their MPs to say how terrible ContactPoint was, not a single one of those GPs knew about ContactPoint. GPs would have been a crucial element of ContactPoint if it were to go ahead, but the engagement with it was virtually nil."
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
