When to use Child Protection - Information Sharing (CP-IS)
When CP-IS is used, and the situations where it may be relevant to organisations, suppliers and developers.
Overview
CP-IS 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.
As it covers 100% of 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. It is already available to more than 1,200 unscheduled care settings. This includes services that provide urgent or emergency care that cannot be planned in advance, such as ambulance services and emergency departments.
This page describes common scenarios where CP-IS is used and includes examples of how organisations have applied it in practice.
If you've identified a scenario where CP-IS may be relevant, you can learn more about how it works and the technical resources available for implementation.
- How CP-IS works
Architecture, data flows and system components - Implementation and integration
Guidance, APIs and approaches for integrating the service
Who is included
CP-IS deals with children and young people who are known to social care because they are either looked after or have a child protection plan.
This includes:
- an Interim Care Order under Section 28 of the Children Act 1989
- a Full Care order under Section 31 of the Children Act 1989
- a Voluntary Care Order under Section 20 of the Children Act 1989, where they can be accommodated with the consent of those with parental responsibility
- a child protection plan under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989, including unborn child protection plans
Some local authorities have chosen to include children and young people where an E1 placement order has been made under the Adoption and Children Act, to ensure they remain on CP-IS until their adoption is complete.
Typical scenarios and case studies
These examples show common situations where CP-IS supports the care and safeguarding of children. Select a scenario to see how the service was used in practice.
Quickly understand a child's safeguarding background when information is not available locally. This helps clinicians complete assessments and make informed decisions about care.
Use safeguarding information to support professional judgement when concerns arise. This helps staff recognise risk and take appropriate action to protect children.
Give health and social care professionals access to the same safeguarding information. This supports better coordination and more timely interventions.
Provide clinicians with relevant safeguarding context at the point of care. This helps them make safer decisions and deliver more appropriate treatment.
View safeguarding information for children wherever they receive care in England. This reduces the risk of important information being missed when children are away from their usual services.
Highlight safeguarding concerns at the earliest opportunity. This enables faster intervention and helps improve outcomes for vulnerable children.
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Last edited: 4 August 2026 10:41 am