Child Protection - Information Sharing Project (CP-IS)

CP-IS is a new data sharing system that is being piloted in certain areas. The idea of it is that it will provide very brief information for unscheduled medical appointments e.g. A&E, walk-in centres, out of hours GPs, paediatric wards, maternity units and ambulance services. The information shared is only for children on a CP plan or look after children.

This is a good development but it is still extraordinary how little data is available if a child crosses local authority boundaries. Of course safeguarding adults is even more woolly and there is no CP-IS equivalent for adults.

Deprivation of liberty safeguards delayed

The proposed legal changes to the deprivation of liberty (DOL) safeguards have been put off until at least March. In the context of Brexit, the Government clearly don't see this as a priority. With the incredible pressure on adult social care at the moment, the streamlining of DOLs does seem like a big priority for local authorities.

Also, we have yet another version of the Care Act Statutory guidance to get to grips with - it is a shame it is such unhelpful and unclear guidance compared with Working Together to Safeguard Children from harm.

Local Authority funding

The care system is in crisis because of cuts to local authority (LA) budgets accompanied by increasing costs of employing staff. Even the best care homes are struggling with this and have to charge considerably more than LA's can pay to make any profit. This means we have a residual poorly funded system for those who have to rely on LA funding.

There are homes and domiciliary providers that no social worker would wish to place their relative in but they have no choice because of the agreed funding limits. Until we sort out social care, the NHS will struggle as older people have more admissions with accidents and dehydration and then stay in hospital longer because services aren't there for them on discharge.