Across the UK, more and more Local Authorities, Children’s Homes, and Children’s Trusts are turning to ParentShield to meet the unique safeguarding needs of the children and young people in their care.
Whether it’s providing safe communication for a child placed in a new foster setting, enabling carefully controlled contact with family, or supporting a young person’s growing independence — ParentShield offers something no other mobile network does: safeguarding-first mobile connectivity.
SIM Plans for Children in Care
ParentShield is not just a mobile network with a few extra features — it’s a mobile network built from the ground up with safeguarding at its core. For children in care, who may be at greater risk of exploitation, coercion, or contact from unsafe individuals, mainstream mobile networks simply don’t offer the protections needed.
ParentShield is now being used by:
- Local Authority Safeguarding Teams
- Residential Children’s Homes
- Independent Fostering Agencies
- Children’s Trusts across the UK
Because it has been specifically designed for protecting children and young people.
How ParentShield Supports Care Settings
ParentShield is specifically designed to meet the safeguarding and administrative needs of care settings such as Local Authorities, Residential Children’s Homes, and Fostering Services. Unlike standard mobile networks, ParentShield provides a robust, secure, and auditable environment to manage a young person’s mobile phone usage — with controls and tools tailored for looked-after children (LAC).
Designed for Corporate Parenting
Children in care often have communication needs that differ from those in traditional home environments. ParentShield’s infrastructure and Pro Stage SIMs are built to handle these added responsibilities, including:
- MISPER support
- Multiple contact points for professionals
- Secure audit trails
- Portal training for Single Points of Contact (SpoCs)
Safeguarding at the Core
ParentShield helps care teams meet safeguarding obligations by offering:
| Feature | Benefit for Care Settings |
|---|---|
| Closed User Group | Lock communication to trusted contacts — preventing unknown or unsafe communication. |
| Tamper-Proof Controls | Children cannot alter, bypass, or remove restrictions or change SIM settings. |
| Instant Emergency Override | Restrictions can be lifted instantly during emergencies such as a MISPER event, allowing open communication and data for tracking. |
| Optional Monitoring Capabilities | Where authorised, call and text logs can be reviewed to ensure the child is not subject to grooming, bullying, or coercion. |
| No Personal Data Stored on SIM | If lost or stolen, there is no risk of personal data being exposed. |
| Last-Connected Cell Tower Location | Allows approximate tracking in emergencies, even without GPS. |
Care Staff Tools and Compliance
ParentShield helps homes stay compliant with regulatory frameworks (GDPR, Ofsted, internal mobile policies) through:
- Access Control: A clear log of authorised staff with portal access, and a policy to revoke permissions promptly if staff leave.
- Training Support: Portal training is available for SpoCs and frontline staff. Request at
[email protected]. - GDPR Alignment: Data is securely managed, never stored on the SIM, and only shared with authorised parties.
Emergency Procedures
In the event of a Missing Person (MisPer):
- All restrictions can be disabled instantly via the portal.
- GPS and cell tower tracking (where supported) can assist emergency services.
- Police can be granted temporary access, and ParentShield can provide any information as required.
- ParentShield should be informed via the dedicated care support line to assist further.
Best Practice for Implementation
- Set up phones before handover, with contacts pre-loaded and restrictions applied.
- Record and document all staff trained on ParentShield usage.
- Establish a clear escalation route for technical support or safeguarding concerns.
Flexible, Future-Proof and Transparent
As the young person’s situation changes — for example, when progressing toward independence or preparing for transition — ParentShield can evolve too. Controls can be gradually relaxed, contact lists expanded, or the SIM moved with the young person to a new setting (with ParentShield support coordination).