Children Act 2004: Information-sharing Databases

My right honourable friend the Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families (Beverley Hughes) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement. I have today placed copies of the Government's response to consultation on recording practitioner details for potentially sensitive services and recording concern about a child or young person in the Libraries of both Houses. Section 12 of the Children Act 2004 provides for the   establishment of information-sharing databases (or indexes). The then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Skills (Baroness Ashton of Upholland), announced at Lords Report stage of the Children Bill in July 2004 that the Government would hold a public consultation on three issues related to the operation of the information-sharing indexes under Section 12 of the Children Act 2004:"recording practitioner details for potentially sensitive services on the index;""access by authorised users to practitioner details once recorded; and""recording the fact of a concern on the index." The consultation ran from 27 October 2004 to 19 January 2005.