The database was heavily criticised by a wide range of groups, mainly for privacy, security and child protection reasons.
From that date the Children Act 2004 Information Database (England) Regulations 2007, as amended in 2010, no longer applies.
It was here that she was abused, including being beaten with hammers, bike chains, and wires; being forced to sleep in a bin liner in the bath; and being tied up for periods of over 24 hours.
However, in what the judge in the trial following Victoria's death described as "blinding incompetence",[3] all failed to properly investigate the abuse and little action was taken.
On 24 February 2000, Victoria was admitted into an accident-and-emergency department, semi-unconscious and suffering from hypothermia, multiple organ failure and malnutrition.
On 20 November 2000, her guardians, Marie Thérèse Kouao and Carl Manning, were charged with child cruelty and murder; on 12 January 2001, both were found guilty, and sentenced to life imprisonment.
[4] Victoria's death led to a public inquiry, launched on 31 May 2001[5] and chaired by Herbert Laming, which investigated the role of the agencies involved in her care.
[8][9] The database proposals were announced in September 2003,[10] alongside the publication of Every Child Matters, and was being created under Section 12 of the Children Act 2004.
[citation needed] Only professionals whose job involves supporting children would be able to access the database, and they would be required to undergo enhanced Criminal Records Bureau checks and training.
[citation needed] Each local authority would decide who may access the database provided their role was listed in the ContactPoint Regulations.
[25] Margaret Hodge, then children's minister, had said that drug or alcohol use by parents, relatives and neighbours, together with other aspects of their behaviour, may be recorded.
[38] In August 2006, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) announced that the database would include telephone numbers or addresses of celebrities' children.
Terri Dowty, one of the report's authors, replied, "it's an appalling aspersion to throw at some of the leading academics in this field.
Laming, however, said that Davies' assertion was a "gross distortion of what is an intelligent application of technology aimed at ensuring every child benefits from the universal services".
[62] Evidence presented in 2006 to the management board of the Leeds NHS Trust showed that in one month the 14,000 staff logged 70,000 incidents of inappropriate access.
[64] The celebrity exclusions were attacked, with critics saying that it underlined fears about security, and that government ministers could have decided to exclude their own children from the database.
Some had said that the database might lead to self-fulfilling prophecies, where children from difficult backgrounds were treated as potential delinquents.
[66] The government was accused of using the public's response to the death of Victoria Climbié to force through the unpopular proposal and to curb civil liberties.
The information commissioner estimates it at £1bn,[71] which Hodge said was 'absurd',[72] and others raised concerns over the cost,[73] noting that government projects tend to go over-budget.
Mary Marsh, chief executive of the NSPCC, wanted the database to cover the whole of the United Kingdom, not just England and Wales, saying "the information held would be only partial and potentially worse than useless".