Child Protection Information Sharing service

The Child Protection Information Sharing service (CP-IS) helps health and social care professionals share information securely to better protect:

• children with looked after status
• those who have a child protection plan
• expectant women who have an unborn child protection plan

CP-IS links IT systems used across health and social care to help organisations share information securely. As it covers 100% Local Authorities in England, it's the only national register of social care status, and the only system to provide information when a child is out of area.

When a child is known to social care and is a Child Looked After or on a Child Protection Plan, basic information about that plan is shared securely with the NHS. If that child attends a NHS unscheduled care setting, such as an emergency department or a minor injury unit:

• the health team is alerted that they are on a plan and has access to the contact details for the social care team the social care team is automatically notified that the child has attended
• both parties can see details of the child's previous visits (up to 25) to unscheduled care settings in England

When the mother of an unborn child is known to social care and subject to an Unborn Child Protection Plan, this information is shared securely with the NHS and processed as above.

CP-IS is endorsed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and is included in the key lines of enquiry during CQC inspections. It's also included in the standard contract for providers of NHS unscheduled care.