LIVERPOOL council leaders are challenging the Government’s scheme for a database which will hold information about every child.

The city is one of 17 local authorities in the North- West piloting the ContactPoint system which is designed for child protection.

However, the Liberal Democrat-led administration said yesterday it had serious concerns about the database which would be accessed by up to half a million public sector staff, like teachers and social workers.

But the fear is that, if the data was lost or misused, it could make children vulnerable to paedophiles.

The Lib-Dems are now urging their national leadership to support their call for the Government to re-consider the system.

Every child’s name, address, gender, date of birth, parental details, health and education records and “any areas of concern” are stored in the databank.

It has been introduced in the wake of the Victoria Climbié inquiry.

The eight-year-old was abused and murdered by her guardians in 2000, in a case which highlighted the failure of various bodies including police, social services, the NHS and the NSPCC, all of which had contact with her and failed to investigate the abuse.

Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls, said: “ContactPoint has been developed in response to a key recommendation of Lord Laming’s inquiry into the tragic death of Victoria Climbié and is a vital tool designed to help keep children safe.

“In order to protect children, it is crucial to ensure that the right agencies are involved at the right time and to improve the sharing of information between practitioners.”

He added: “It will provide a quick way for those practitioners to find out who else is working with the same child or young person and ensure their best interests are promoted.”

But last night city council leader Cllr Warren Bradley said as a parent he had grave concerns about the programme.

He said the ContactPoint system was yet another opportunity for data to fall into the wrong hands.