11 millon children taken off government computer

[GabbyLoggon]

This mornings news.

Eleven million children taken off governemnt computer.

To be frank, though I follow the news, I had forgotten about this government record.

So, did you know your children were on?
And are you glad that it is now switched off.
An allied subject: I was glad HMG dropped ID cards.

[reallytired]

"So, did you know your children were on?"

Yes

"And are you glad that it is now switched off."

Not sure. There needs to be a better way for professionals who work with children to share information. The deaths of far too many children (Peter Connelly, Victoria Climbe, the poor girl in Birmingham who was straved to death) were caused by children getting lost in the system.

The problem with a large database is controlling access to information. For example I do not want my son's primary school teacher having access to his medical records.

[lazarusb]

Unfortunately we don't see children as precious or valuable. They don't have the same right not to be assaulted as adults. Until we encourage educative, positive parenting, stop treating some of the most people in our society as unimportant or worse, we will see children abused and dying. It's not good enough. The majority of parents love and treat our children well but one child being hurt is one too many.
Whoever took this decision should be ashamed.

[DarrellRivers]

Very pleased

Why does recording information ad nauseum make us any safer?

It is what people do with information that matters, not the recording of vast amounts of what essentially is information about children not at risk

[nymphadora]

I was a user of contact point and had no objection to the data on it. Parents had the right that to ask for their childrens details be blocked. It meant that I could look up a child and find out immediately which other professionals were involved rather than numerous calls/emails etc to collate it. The info was up loaded from school details/Childrens services and Gps regularly but was v basic. Name address, family, professionals but no actual info about why they were involved.

I had to log every use ( and not allowed to look for anyone else) any dodgy use was a sackable offence. Strict I'D checks to get access too. Checks beyond the CRB. Some of the admin staff weren't allowed to use it as they had no CRB.

I can understand people not wanting their child on it but I also feel thesystem was misrepresented by the press and new Government.

[Vallhala]

Yes and yes.

I'm delighted to have read of a victory for common sense at last.

The system was extotionate to set up and would have been cripplingly expensive to maintain. It was intrusive and not the best use of resources, particularly when it was used for devious means, such as monitoring of home ed families, something there is no automatic legal right for authorities to do.

[reallytired]

The poor girl who was starved to death in Birmingham was home educated.

[reallytired]

Surely this is a reminder why we need something.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1205634/Baby-P-killers-unmasked-Evil-mother-Tracey-Connelly-neo-Nazi-boyfriend-Steven-Barker.html

[reallytired]

Surely this is a good reason why home education needs to be monitored.

Poor Kyra

www.brmb.co.uk/Article.asp?id=1711700

[PurpleRayne]

If you really want a proper analysis of this issue, reallytired,in relation to home education please go to:

www.uncharted-worlds.org/blog/2010/07/systems-people-and-the-death-of-khyra-ishaq/

[PurpleRayne]

and just in case you don't have the inclination to read and analyse the information, here is the end comment:

Graham Stuart MP says:
29 July 2010 at 21:43

Thanks for such a thorough and useful article. I?ve spoken to the Secretary of State and strongly made the key point about poor Khyra: the failing was that of social services to do their duty and investigate the welfare concerns properly made by her school. Home education monitoring powers were not a factor and would not have saved her.

[Callisto]

Kyra Ishaq is a text book case of a child who was known to the authorities as being at risk and who was utterly failed by SS. Her case has nothing at all to do with the fact that she was HE'd. She was removed from school and her ex-head teacher phoned SS several times to express concern. SS responded by doing nothing.

A huge, unwieldy, vastly expensive database is not going to stop children from being abused or killed.

[Rocky12]

The Home Education issue is a red herring in some ways. Does anyone really think that was what those scum were doing when they kept her way from school

[BarmyArmy]

We should remain free to educate our children as we wish - home, public education, private education etc etc.

[Callisto]

The 'nothing to hide' argument is a slippery slope. After all, if you have nothing to hide you won't object to having your entire house cctv monitored will you?

I object to any government interference and curtailment to personal freedoms. Thank the Lord the current government seems to agree.

[Oblomov]

Not sure how i feel about this. The home ed thing is irreleavnt though surely.