Capgemini wins £40 million kids' database contract

Capgemini has been awarded a £40 million by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) to build and host ContactPoint, a database of information about UK children.

The deal follows a 2006 contract which saw Capgemini develop the technical design. The new contract means the firm will develop the programme and host it from its launch in 2008 until 2014.

Part of the government's Every Child Matters programme, ContactPoint will hold basic biographical identifying details - such as address, gender and school - about all children in England from the day they're born until they reach the age of 18. It will also hold contact details for parents, carers or any services working with the child, providing a quick way for a practitioner to find out who else is working with the same child or young person, thus making it easier to deliver more coordinated support.

The database will not hold social services case information, a statement from Capgemini said.

The data will be sourced from databases held by the DCSF, the National Health Service, the Office for National Statistics and the Department for Work and Pensions.

Access to the system will be limited to authorised users who have been trained and security checked, said Capgemini, adding that the design of ContactPoint will meet international and government standards for information security. It will be audited by independent security experts during the development and once it goes live.

"ContactPoint is crucial to the successful delivery of the government's Every Child Matters: Change for Children programme and we are delighted to be entrusted with a project of such evident importance," said John Cummings, vice president for the education sector at Capgemini, in statement.

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