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What is Parent Mode?

Parent Mode is a privacy feature that allows you to review safeguarding records with parents, carers, or external parties while automatically hiding incidents belonging to sensitive categories. When enabled, Parent Mode filters out:
  • Incidents belonging to categories marked as “Hide in Parent Mode”
This is a category-based filter - entire incidents are hidden if any of their categories are configured as hidden. The filtering happens client-side, so your full data remains intact and accessible when Parent Mode is disabled.

Important

Parent Mode helps you comply with data protection requirements while maintaining transparency with families. Always enable it before sharing your screen or reviewing records with parents present.

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Why Use Parent Mode?

Data Protection

Prevents accidental disclosure of sensitive information during meetings

Compliance

Helps meet GDPR and safeguarding information sharing requirements

Trust Building

Share appropriate information transparently with families

Safety First

Protects confidential details about investigations and other students

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How Parent Mode Works

1

Enable Parent Mode

Click the Parent Mode toggle button (eye icon in the header) when viewing:
  • Incident timelines
  • Incident lists
  • Incident relationship graphs
2

Incidents are filtered automatically

Signal immediately hides incidents belonging to categories configured as hidden:
  • Incidents with hidden categories are removed from the timeline
  • The category filter dropdown excludes hidden categories
  • Relationship graphs hide connections involving hidden categories
3

Review with confidence

What remains visible are incidents with non-hidden categories:
  • Full incident details for visible categories
  • Category labels for visible categories
  • Timeline entries for appropriate incidents
4

Disable when finished

Toggle Parent Mode off after your meeting to restore the full view
Parent Mode is not a recording or logging feature. It’s a live filter that changes what you see on screen. Always enable it before sharing your screen or reviewing records with parents present.
Important filtering behavior: If an incident has multiple categories and any of those categories is marked as hidden, the entire incident will be hidden in Parent Mode. This ensures sensitive information is fully protected.

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Configuring Parent Mode

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Setting Categories to Hide

You can configure which incident categories should be hidden in Parent Mode:
1

Go to Categories

Navigate to Settings → Categories
2

Edit category

Click on the category you want to configure
3

Toggle Parent Mode visibility

Enable “Hide in Parent Mode” to prevent this category from appearing when Parent Mode is active
4

Save changes

Click Save to apply the configuration
Common categories to hide in Parent Mode include:
  • Child Protection (CP) / Child in Need (CIN): Active safeguarding investigations
  • Staff Conduct: Concerns about staff behavior
  • Police Involvement: Active investigations
  • Social Services Involvement: Multi-agency case work
  • Mental Health Concerns: Sensitive medical information (unless specifically shared with consent)
  • Peer-on-Peer Abuse: Protecting other students’ identities
  • Sexualized Behavior: Highly sensitive incidents
Categories typically safe to show:
  • General Pastoral: Non-sensitive welfare concerns
  • Positive Behavior: Achievements and positive notes
  • Attendance: Unless linked to safeguarding concerns
  • Academic Progress: Standard educational updates

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Testing Your Configuration

Before using Parent Mode with parents, test your configuration:
1

Open a student profile

Choose a student with incidents in various categories
2

Review full timeline

Note all incidents visible in normal view
3

Enable Parent Mode

Toggle Parent Mode on
4

Verify filtering

Confirm that hidden categories no longer appear and sensitive content is removed
Test Parent Mode during staff training sessions by reviewing sample student records. This helps staff understand what parents will and won’t see.

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Using Parent Mode in Meetings

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Student Profile Reviews

When reviewing a student’s profile and timeline with parents:
1

Prepare before the meeting

  • Review the student’s full timeline beforehand
  • Note which incidents will be visible in Parent Mode
  • Prepare to discuss visible incidents appropriately
  • Have printed copies ready if needed (not subject to Parent Mode filtering)
2

Enable Parent Mode immediately

Before inviting parents into the room or sharing your screen, toggle Parent Mode on
3

Review visible incidents

Walk through the timeline, discussing only incidents that remain visible
4

Handle questions about gaps

If parents ask about timeline gaps:
  • “We have some internal staff notes that aren’t shared”
  • “Some information relates to ongoing safeguarding processes”
  • “We’re working with external agencies on some matters”
5

Disable after the meeting

Once parents have left, toggle Parent Mode off to restore full access

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Incident Discussions

When discussing specific incidents with parents:
Visible:
  • Incidents belonging only to non-hidden categories
  • Full incident details (date, location, description) for visible incidents
  • All category labels for visible incidents
  • All associated data for visible incidents
Hidden:
  • Entire incidents that have any category marked as “Hide in Parent Mode”
  • Hidden categories are also removed from the category filter dropdown
Parent Mode filters automatically, but you should still use professional judgment. Don’t verbally discuss hidden information even if it’s no longer visible on screen.

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Remote Meetings and Screen Sharing

For virtual parent meetings:
1

Enable Parent Mode first

Toggle Parent Mode on before starting screen sharing
2

Share only Signal window

Use “Share specific window” not “Share entire screen” to prevent accidental disclosure of other content
3

End sharing and disable

Stop screen sharing, then toggle Parent Mode off

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Parent Mode Across Signal

Parent Mode currently filters the following views:
FeatureParent Mode Effect
Incident TimelineHides incidents belonging to hidden categories
Incident ListFilters out incidents with hidden categories
Relationship GraphsHides relationships involving hidden categories
Parent Mode is a per-user toggle stored in your browser. Each staff member can enable or disable it independently. It doesn’t affect what other users see.

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Permissions

All user roles can enable Parent Mode:
FeatureOwnerDSLDeputy DSLAdminViewer
Enable Parent Mode✓✓✓✓✓
Configure hidden categories✓✓✓✓✗
While all users can enable Parent Mode, only Owner, DSL, Deputy DSL, and Admin roles can configure which categories are hidden. This ensures consistent information sharing across your school.

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Best Practices

Make it a habit: Parent Mode on before parents arrive. Don’t rely on memory during busy meetings.Consider:
  • Setting a calendar reminder to enable Parent Mode before scheduled parent meetings
  • Creating a meeting checklist that includes enabling Parent Mode
  • Training all staff on the importance of pre-meeting preparation
As you add new categories or update incident classification, review what’s hidden in Parent Mode.Quarterly review:
  1. List all active categories
  2. For each category, decide if it should be hidden
  3. Test Parent Mode on sample profiles
  4. Update staff training materials
Parent Mode is a tool, not a replacement for professional decision-making.Remember:
  • Just because something is visible doesn’t mean you must discuss it
  • Just because something is hidden doesn’t mean you can never share it (with appropriate consent/process)
  • Consider the context of each meeting and family situation
Parents may notice timeline gaps or ask about hidden information.Helpful responses:
  • “We have some internal staff communications that aren’t shared in parent meetings”
  • “Some information is part of ongoing safeguarding work with external agencies”
  • “I can discuss that separately with the appropriate consent processes in place”
When meeting with parents, consider noting in your incident records:
  • That Parent Mode was used during the meeting
  • Which incidents were reviewed
  • Any questions about hidden information
This creates a manual record of appropriate information sharing.
Include Parent Mode in:
  • New staff onboarding
  • Annual safeguarding training refreshers
  • Role-specific training (pastoral staff, SLT, reception)
Use real (anonymized) examples to demonstrate filtering.

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Common Scenarios

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Annual Review Meetings

1

Prepare the review

  • Review student’s full timeline (Parent Mode off)
  • Note achievements and areas of concern
  • Identify which incidents are appropriate to share
2

Enable Parent Mode

Before parents arrive, toggle Parent Mode on
3

Walk through timeline

Review visible incidents chronologically, focusing on progress and support
4

Discuss next steps

Review and assign actions visible to parents (e.g., “Work with Student on behavior plan”)

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Transition Meetings (Y6 → Y7)

When reviewing records with parents and receiving school staff:
For transition meetings, you may need a different Parent Mode configuration than standard parent meetings. Consider creating category groups like “Shareable in Transitions” vs “Internal Only”.

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Complaints or Concerns

When parents raise complaints about incident recording:
If a parent requests to see all safeguarding records:
  1. Don’t immediately toggle Parent Mode off
  2. Explain: “Some information involves other students, staff, or ongoing safeguarding processes”
  3. Offer: “I can arrange a formal subject access request if you’d like to review what can be legally shared”
  4. Follow your school’s Subject Access Request (SAR) procedures
Parent Mode is not a replacement for formal SAR processes.

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Multi-Agency Meetings

When reviewing records with social workers, police, or other agencies:
Parent Mode is designed for parent meetings, not multi-agency safeguarding meetings. For professional partnerships (social services, police, health), you typically disable Parent Mode to share full information under appropriate information sharing protocols.

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Troubleshooting

Possible causes:
  1. Category not configured: Go to Settings → Categories and enable “Hide in Parent Mode” for sensitive categories
  2. Viewing a non-supported area: Parent Mode currently only filters incident timelines, incident lists, and relationship graphs
Solution: Review category configuration in Settings → Categories.
Immediate steps:
  1. Stop screen sharing immediately
  2. Acknowledge the error professionally: “I apologize, I should have filtered that view”
  3. Don’t over-explain what was visible (may draw more attention)
  4. Document the incident internally
  5. Report to your Data Protection Lead if sensitive information was disclosed
Prevention: Always enable Parent Mode before starting screen sharing.
Possible causes:
  1. Not viewing a student record: Parent Mode only appears on student profiles, incident details, and timelines
  2. Insufficient permissions: Check with your Administrator
  3. Feature not enabled: Contact your system administrator
Check: Navigate to a student profile and look for the Parent Mode toggle in the top right corner.
This is expected behavior if you have role-based access control:
  • Parent Mode + user permissions = what each person sees
  • A Staff Member with Year 7 access won’t see Year 8 incidents, even with Parent Mode off
  • Parent Mode applies an additional filter on top of existing permissions
Solution: Ensure staff understand that Parent Mode filtering combines with their role-based access.
Current behavior:Parent Mode is a live view filter only. Exported documents (PDF, Word, etc.) are not currently filtered by Parent Mode settings.Workaround: When creating documents for parents, manually review the content before sharing to ensure no sensitive information is included.

Setup Categories

Configure which categories are hidden in Parent Mode

Student Profiles

Learn about reviewing timelines with Parent Mode enabled

Incidents

Understand what incident information is filtered in Parent Mode

Users & Permissions

Configure who can enable Parent Mode and manage settings

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Compliance Considerations

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GDPR and Data Protection

Parent Mode helps you comply with:
  • Right to information: Share appropriate information with parents
  • Data minimization: Don’t share more than necessary
  • Third party protection: Protect other students’ and staff members’ information
  • Purpose limitation: Only share data relevant to the meeting purpose
Parent Mode is a tool to assist with compliance, not a guarantee of legal compliance. Always follow your school’s Data Protection policies and consult your DPO for complex information sharing decisions.

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Data Persistence

Parent Mode state is stored locally in your browser (localStorage). This means:
  • Your Parent Mode preference persists across page refreshes
  • Each browser/device maintains its own Parent Mode state
  • Clearing browser data will reset Parent Mode to off

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Subject Access Requests (SARs)

Parent Mode filtering is different from SAR responses:
Parent ModeSubject Access Request
Live filter during meetingsFormal legal process
Controlled by category configurationControlled by data protection law
Hides incidents by categoryMay include all incidents (with appropriate redactions)
Quick toggle on/offRequires formal request and review process
If parents submit a formal Subject Access Request, follow your school’s SAR procedures. Don’t simply toggle Parent Mode off and share all records.

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Need Help?

FAQs

Common questions about Parent Mode and information sharing

Support

Contact our team for Parent Mode configuration assistance

Training Resources

Request staff training materials for Parent Mode usage

Data Protection Guidance

Consult your school’s Data Protection Officer for complex cases