Setting up Safe Messaging, start to finish

Safe Messaging touches your family records, your site settings, your leaders’ permissions and your safeguarding arrangements, so the order matters. This is the whole setup in nine steps. Each one links to the guide that walks you through it. If you only read one Safe Messaging article, read this one.

Before you touch a setting

1. Read how it works. Ten minutes, and it answers most of the questions your leadership will ask. See What Safe Messaging is, and how it works.
2. Decide four things with your Safeguarding Lead, and minute them: who holds the Safeguarding Lead role, which leaders get permission, whether children may reply, and how often messages are reviewed. See Safe Messaging and your safeguarding policy.
3. Get your family data right. Every child needs a date of birth, the right family, and a guardian with an email address. A message cannot be sent to a child with nobody to approve it, so this is the step that decides whether anything works. See How to get your family data ready for Safe Messaging.

Switching it on

4. Ask us to enable it. Safe Messaging ships switched off, and we turn it on for your site along with the app Inbox section where parents find their approvals. Contact support.
5. Name your Safeguarding Lead and tick Enable. It cannot be switched on until a Lead is named. See How to turn on Safe Messaging for your church.
6. Check the four settings. Approval window, weekly limit, replies, and the under-13 login restriction. The defaults suit most churches. See How to choose your Safe Messaging settings.
7. Give your leaders permission. Nobody can message a child until you do, including administrators. See How to give a leader permission to send Safe Messages.

Before the first message

8. Tell parents. Send families the parent guide before the first message arrives, so nothing comes as a surprise. See Safe Messaging: a guide for parents and guardians.
9. Brief your leaders. Tell them plainly that their messages are read by a parent and by the Safeguarding Lead, and that this protects them. Show them how to send. See How to send a message to a child.

Then, every week

Your Safeguarding Lead opens the dashboard, clears anything awaiting review, follows up any rejections, and checks the children-without-guardian list. A few minutes. See How to use your Safeguarding Dashboard and How to review Safe Messages.

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Tick list

• Leadership has read how it works and made the four decisions
• Every child has a date of birth, a family and a contactable guardian
• Support has enabled Safe Messaging and the app Inbox
• Safeguarding Lead named, Enable ticked, settings checked
• Permission given to the right leaders, and only those leaders
• Parent guide sent to families
• Leaders briefed
• Weekly review slot in the Safeguarding Lead’s diary