News of the UK’s inexorable slide into recession is diverting attention from some very grubby corners. Some may have noticed a story on The Register about a political memo sent out by DCSF explaining why Tory policy on Contactpoint is wrong (and, yet again, invoking Victoria Climbie).
Earlier this week the Department for Children, Schools and Families wrote to local authorities to argue that Labour’s plans for the forthcoming ContactPoint database are the best to protect children from abuse. The government will pool personal data on every child in England and Wales, while the Tories say only those identified by social workers as vulnerable should be included.
“It [Labour’s plan] is much less stigmatising – no judgement is required about who should be included or not. With a selective system, such as that proposed by the Conservatives, practitioners may make decisions about the needs or vulnerability of a child in absence of all of the available information,” the DCSF memo said.
You can see the full memo at Ideal Government, and judge for yourself whether it demonstrates an impartiality appropriate to civil servants.
The memo concludes with some utter tosh about Victoria Climbie, which I hope we’ve dealt with here.
On a lighter note, someone has posted this cartoon in Ideal Government’s comments. It’s a good one.
The ARCH Blog 