Child Protection - Information Sharing (CP-IS) service

Child Protection - Information Sharing (CP-IS) is part of the Patient Flags service. It helps health and social care professionals share information securely to better protect children and young people who are known to social care. The service provides access to information about children who have a child protection plan or are looked after, helping professionals make more informed safeguarding decisions at the point of care.

This page provides an overview of the service. You can explore links to more detailed information about how it works, what it does and how to use it.

This service helps to:

• share safeguarding information between local authorities and NHS organisations
• notify social care teams when children attend healthcare settings
• support earlier intervention and more informed safeguarding decisions
• provide access to child protection and looked after child status across organisational boundaries
• make safeguarding information available when a child is outside their local area 

This service is not a:

• replacement for local safeguarding processes or professional judgement
• standalone care record system
• system for storing full social care or healthcare records

CP-IS links health and social care systems across England to enable the secure sharing of safeguarding information. Local authorities upload information about children who are looked after or subject to a child protection plan. Authorised healthcare professionals can then access this information when the child receives care.

• How CP-IS works
  Architecture, data flows and system components

This service may be used by:

• local authority social care teams
• NHS organisations delivering planned or unplanned care
• safeguarding teams and healthcare professionals
• suppliers integrating CP-IS functionality into healthcare or social care systems
• organisations responsible for safeguarding children and young people

CP-IS provides secure access to safeguarding information and supports information sharing between health and social care organisations. The benefits will vary depending on how the service is used and your role.

• What CP-IS does
  Capabilities, data and core functions

This section explains how CP-IS is used in practice and where it is most relevant.

CP-IS is used when healthcare professionals need access to safeguarding information about children and young people who are known to social care. It supports care settings where safeguarding information is required at the point of care and where organisations need to share information securely across organisational boundaries.

To understand whether this service is relevant to your needs, explore how it is used in different care settings and implementation scenarios.

• When to use CP-IS
  Scenarios and care settings
• Service availability
  Adoption, status and roadmap

To deliver a complete solution, CP-IS works alongside other NHS services and local systems.

These services may be used to:

• identify patients
• access care records and related information
• support safeguarding workflows
• enable information sharing between organisations
• integrate local authority and NHS systems

See detailed information on how this service fits with others.

This section explains how CP-IS is made available to organisations and systems, and what that means in practice.

To use CP-IS, organisations must meet technical, operational and governance requirements and complete onboarding activities.

• Compliance and governance
  Data protection, legal and governance requirements

Access for healthcare workers

A healthcare worker can access CP-IS using NCRS. They need to have the appropriate RBAC activity codes added to their NHS smartcard or modern equivalent, typically by the Registration Authority Manager for their organisation.

Implement CP-IS in your organisation

Once you understand the service and how it applies to your needs, you can begin the process of using it. To implement CP-IS, organisations connect their existing clinical or social care systems to the national service.

For software development organisations interested in developing systems for local authorities or the NHS, see technical guidance for developers. You can also get support from the Developer Community if you need help or want to discuss your approach.

• How CP-IS works
• What CP-IS does
• When to use CP-IS
• Service availability
• Compliance and governance requirements
• Implementation and integration