Written question asked by Hilton Dawson (Labour) on Monday, 28 March 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 7 April 2005. It was answered by Baroness Hodge of Barking (Labour) on Thursday, 7 April 2005 on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills.

Dept for Education and Skills

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if she will make a statement on the proposed replacement of child protection measures with the integrated children's system.

Answer: Mr. Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the proposed replacement of child protection measures with the integrated children's system. [224344] Margaret Hodge: [holding answer 5 April 2005]: The Integrated Children's System (ICS) has been designed to enable social services and partner agencies to achieve better outcomes for children in need. In the longer term, as the ICS becomes widely used, its supporting IT system will enable child protection and other children's services staff to identify children on the system who have been the subject of enquiries into whether they are at risk of suffering, or have suffered, significant harm; have been the subject of a child protection conference; or who are the subject of a child protection plan. Once the system is developed and operating, there will no longer be a need for local authorities to maintain a Child Protection Register separate from or additional to the Integrated Children's System. No date has yet been identified for this change to be completed.

Secondary information