Safeguarding Dashboards were developed by Clearly Simpler and launched in 2018.

The dashboard is now used by over 10,000 parishes across every diocese in the Church of England.  A survey of parish users showed that:

• The dashboard is easy to use, and it helps people to keep track of what needs to be done.
• The dashboard is making safeguarding simpler, and it is helping to build confidence.
   

In cathedrals

Although the dashboard was designed for parishes, 15 cathedrals are using it on the basis that “a parish dashboard is better than nothing.”

INEQE commended this approach in its 2024 Annual Report:

“Some cathedrals adopt tools such as the Parish Safeguarding Dashboard, Safeguarding Hub, and Church Suite for staff/volunteer recruitment and management.  Evidence from the audits support adapting such tools for cathedral use, even if not originally designed for them.”  (page 43)

Nevertheless, there is widespread agreement that a bespoke Cathedral Safeguarding Dashboard would be much better.
 

A bespoke cathedral dashboard

Some cathedrals have been asking Clearly Simpler to develop a cathedral dashboard for several years.  This is because a cathedral is different to a large parish church.

Thanks to a grant from the National Safeguarding Innovation and Impact Fund to Guildford Cathedral, a bespoke Cathedral Safeguarding Dashboard will be developed and launched during the first quarter of 2026.