ContactPoint the newly renamed (ex DFES) UK government Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) Children’s Database is starting to cause some serious concerns on a number of fronts.
Will the content be safe? Will only the correct people have access? Will it be delivered on time? Will it continued to be funded by the DCSF after its initial launch?
Will the content be safe?
According to some [2], there are grave concerns about the whole database and its ability to protect the contents from illegal access and use. There has already been one case where an employee allegedly stole the database records of 2.3 million British children.
Will only the correct people have access?
In a letter to Christine Goodfellow, Director, ContactPoint Project at the DCSF from Richard Stiff, Chair of the ADCS Information Systems and Technology Policy Committee raises questions about the vetting of people that will have access to ContactPoint.
Will it be delivered on time?
If past government IT project late deliveries are to be used as examples, then we could be in for yet another late delivery.
Will it continued to be funded by the DCSF after its initial launch?
There are real concerns that this will put yet greater strain on local government finances, some saying that it will add some £50.00 to individual local council tax bills.
Clearly, there is not much time to get everything correct as ContactPoint is due online during early 2008. We’ll keep an eye on this over the next few months and track other related issues of interest as they arise.
Beasley's Place 