Where parishes are part of a multi-parish benefice:

• Is it better for each parish to have its own dashboard?
• Or is it better for the entire benefice to have a shared dashboard?

The answer depends on where the legal responsibility for safeguarding lies.  Does it rest with each PCC, or is there a Joint Council?

Parochial Church Council

If the responsibility for safeguarding rests with the PCC, we strongly recommend one dashboard per parish.  This is because each PCC is required to approve its own Safeguarding Action Plan, and the dashboard can automatically create this for each PCC.

Joint Council

The Church Representation Rules permit 'connected parishes' to establish a Joint Council (which replaces the separate PCCs).  In such cases, the Joint Council might prefer to have a shared dashboard (which replaces the separate dashboards for each parish).  The shared dashboard can then produce a single Action Plan for discussion and approval by the Joint Council.

District Church Councils

The Church Representation Rules also permit a parish with two or more churches to establish District Church Councils.  In such cases, the PCC might prefer to have a separate dashboard for each district.  Each dashboard can then produce an Action Plan for discussion and approval by the relevant DCC.