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Exclusive: Uptake of child protection data-sharing doubles in six months

CP-IS system alerts emergency department staff that a child has contact with social services
CPIS poster

CP-IS system alerts emergency department staff that a child has contact with social services

The number of emergency departments and local authorities in England taking up a national child protection data-sharing initiative has more than doubled in six months.

The data-sharing project, being delivered in England, is the first of its kind in the UK and links council and NHS databases. It means if a child under the care or supervision of a social worker attends an emergency department or walk-in centre, the IT systems flag to nurses that they are dealing with a vulnerable child. The child’s social worker is automatically alerted.

When the safeguarding alert system was highlighted in October, 227 unscheduled care settings had adopted the Child Protection – Information Sharing (CP-IS) system.

Increasing participation

NHS Digital figures now reveal that in England:

  • 593 settings are using CP-IS – a 161% increase since October last year
  • In addition, 104 councils have joined the initiative, compared with 71 councils in October – an increase of 46%
  • Last month, the system sent more than 3,600 notifications from NHS services to social workers – a 115% increase on the previous six months.

Greater Manchester has been praised by the children's commissoner for England Anne Longfield and NHS Digital for having implemented the system.

Risks when information isn't shared

Ms Longfield said: 'We know from some of the most tragic cases that when health and children’s professionals aren’t sharing information or don’t know about patterns of potential abuse,  things can go very wrong. 

'I want to see every local authority and every NHS organisation with an unscheduled care setting implementing this system as soon as possible.'

All unscheduled NHS care services and local authorities in Greater Manchester now use CP-IS, potentially giving better protection to 12,210 children.

'No substitute for professional curiosity'

Bolton NHS Foundation Trust named nurse for safeguarding children Fiona Farnworth said: 'The CP-IS system enhances what we were already doing.

'The benefit of being able to share information more effectively is that it can flag up looked-after children who live out of the borough, who may be in connection with social services.

'The system doesn’t replace professional curiosity – staff are fully trained in safeguarding procedures and what to look out for. This provides a more joined-up approach.'

NHS Digital executive director Eve Roodhouse said: 'Despite the fantastic progress, we still have a long way to go in implementing this nationally.

'We need all sites who haven't yet started the process to follow Bolton and Greater Manchester’s lead and implement CP-IS, as quickly as possible.

'It is a vital tool to help safeguard our most vulnerable children.'


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