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Child Protection – Information Sharing (CP-IS)

Purpose

The Child Protection – Information Sharing (CP-IS) service is a national system that enables timely and secure sharing of information between local authority children’s social care and health providers. It supports the safeguarding of children who are subject to a Child Protection Plan, are Looked After, or have an unborn protection plan. Newcastle Safeguarding Children Partnership (NSCP) recognises CP-IS as a critical element of effective information sharing, and as a vital enabler of early identification, effective intervention, and improved outcomes for children, and commits to embedding its use across all relevant settings within the partnership area.

Current Local Position

  • CP-IS is fully implemented across all unscheduled care settings in Newcastle,
  • Roll-out into scheduled care (GP practices, community health services, dentists, CAMHS, health visiting and school nursing) is in progress in line with NHS England and ICB implementation plans.
  • All children subject to a Child Protection Plan, Looked After Children, and unborn children with a protection plan are included within the local CP-IS dataset.
  • Social care data is updated daily to ensure accuracy of records and flagging in health systems.

Roles and Responsibilities

  • Newcastle City Council Children’s Social Care is responsible for the timely upload and maintenance of child protection and looked-after children data.
  • North East & North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB): responsible for ensuring that NHS organisations within its footprint implement and maintain CP-IS functionality.
  • NHS Trusts and Providers: ensure CP-IS is operational in frontline settings, that staff are trained in its use, and that alerts are acted upon in line with safeguarding policies.

Information Governance and Data Quality

  • CP-IS data sharing complies with the Data Protection Act 2018, GDPR, and the principles set out in Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023).

Integration with Wider Safeguarding Arrangements

  • CP-IS alerts form part of the wider multi-agency information-sharing framework under NSCP.