Editorial: Discs blunder ups pressure on ContactPoint

ContactPoint will carry the name, address, date of birth, school, health provider and name and details of anyone with parental responsibility or day-to-day care of each child. It has been expected to go live at the end of next year. But the disappearance of the child benefit data discs last week prompted Children's Secretary Ed Balls to order an independent security review of ContactPoint.

Indeed, in a coincidence of timing, a report commissioned by England's children's rights director to gauge young people's own views about the system has found 83 per cent have deep concerns that information about them could fall into the wrong hands. The Conservatives meanwhile have called for the entire initiative to be put on ice. Balls is right to order a stocktake of the security processes in place for the proposed database in order to ensure they are as watertight as possible. The postal disappearance fiasco of the child benefit CDs though raises concerns that are more administrative than technological.

The high-profile events of the last few days serve up a salutary reminder of the importance of getting the training right for the 330,000 practitioners that are expected to use ContactPoint, whether they work in education, social care, health or youth work. It is essential that local authorities ensure all those who qualify to use the system are trained rigorously in information sharing policies and data protection, as well, of course, as being comfortable using the software. It would be a terrible shame if one (admittedly significant) security blunder threatened to dampen the will and throw off course this most ambitious of programmes for multi-agency working.

Congratulations to all the winners and finalists of this year's Children and Young People's Services Awards, presented last Thursday at a glittering ceremony in London. The work of too many in the children and young people's sector goes unsung. These awards aim to put that right and serve as a platform for the very best practice. Long may they continue to do so for many years to come.