In children’s services, digital innovation is everywhere. New platforms, portals, and apps are released with the promise of transforming communication, safeguarding, and engagement.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: most of them don’t work.

Young people don’t want to download another app just to speak to someone they barely know. Volunteers don’t want the friction of learning yet another platform when all they want is a natural conversation. And safeguarding teams are drowning in disconnected systems that fail to provide a clear picture.

We know this because we tried it ourselves.

A few years ago, we built an app to make mentoring safer. But instead of creating connections, it created barriers. Young people didn’t engage. Volunteers lost interest. The very thing we were trying to strengthen — trust — became diluted.

Then someone said something that has shaped our journey ever since:
“You don’t need another app. You need trust.”

That changed everything.

We started asking new questions.

• What does it really take to build trust in one-to-one relationships?

• How can we meet young people where they already are — without compromising safeguarding?

• How can technology support human connection, not replace it?

The answers led us to create Wowment: patent-pending technology that allows people to connect on WhatsApp without exchanging personal phone numbers. By using a platform that young people already trust and engage with daily, we’ve removed barriers and enabled genuine connection.

Since making this shift, mentoring engagement has more than tripled. Volunteers and young people alike tell us that conversations feel more natural, while safeguarding teams gain reassurance from the AI-powered monitoring and insights that keep relationships safe.

Most importantly, we’ve started a wider conversation. Just last week, more than 24 local authorities, charities, and organisations joined us to explore how trust-driven safeguarding technology can strengthen the relationships at the heart of their work.

Because in the end, the future of safeguarding technology isn’t about building more apps.
It’s about building trust.