# Parents & families — Academium SMS [View the HTML page](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/parents-and-families/) > Link siblings during student import, find and sort families, change guardians without losing history, and handle family records with protected bulk actions. Parents & families ## One parent. Every child they bring. A parent’s record holds their details and the children linked to them, and the family list shows where every family stands and what it owes. [](https://academium.com.ng/downloads?product=sms)[All SMS features](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features) A fictional family: one parent record, three children, each child’s fees, and what the family owes in total. The parent record ## Asks for the names that apply. The relationship decides the form: parents give a father’s and mother’s name, any other guardian a single name. - **Details and children together.** A parent’s profile opens on their details, with a Children tab that shows how many are linked before you open it. - **Your extra fields.** Custom fields your school adds for parents appear on the form. A fictional parent record. Choosing Parent(s) asks for both names; any other relation asks for one. Families during student import ## An intake of children. Families already connected. Create or link parent records while importing students, including siblings in different classes. You do not need a separate parent import to connect those children. - **One workbook, parent and student details.** SMS generates the Excel workbook from your school’s selected classes and sections, grouping family fields before student fields. Matching guardian phone or email links children to an existing parent. - **Inspect a recommendation.** Compare the uploaded name, phone and email with an existing family, then open its details and children to decide whether it is the right household. - **You choose the family.** Recommendations are optional. Choose an existing family or continue with the uploaded guardian details. A similar name alone does not make that choice for you. **Student intake** Illustrative Excel import · paid plans Template Review rows Link families Import ### Is this the same family? Optional recommendation **Mr & Mrs Okafor** Existing family · Chidi Okafor, JSS 3 B Compare**Uploaded** **On record** FamilyOkaforOkafor Phone0800000000108000000001 EmailNot suppliedAvailable on record Use this family Use uploaded details Inspect the contact details and existing children, then choose—or continue without accepting a recommendation. Recommendations are optional. Inspect the household before choosing it, or continue with the uploaded details. Fictional records; this is an interactive example. When a family leaves ## Mark the whole family in one step. Record every admitted child of a parent as having left, with a status and a date. - **Balances stated first.** Before you confirm, the page shows the outstanding balance each child carries, which will be written off. Pocket money balances return to the family wallet. - **Only children still at the school.** Children who have already left, transferred or graduated are not touched. A fictional family leaves. Only children still at the school are marked, and the balance to be written off is shown before confirming. Changing a guardian ## A new guardian. The same school history. Change a child’s guardian from the student profile’s Parent & Siblings tab. Review the destination family’s details and existing children before confirming. - **The child keeps their records.** Enrolment, fees, results and pocket money stay with the child. Family surname rules are shown before the change. - **Earlier payments keep their original parent.** Changing the guardian does not rewrite who made earlier payments or delete the original family’s history. A fictional guardian change from the student profile. Both family records and the child’s school history are kept. The family list ## Where every family stands. Families are sorted into three tabs with their counts: enrolled, prospective until a child is admitted, and left once every admitted child has left, transferred or graduated. Each child carries a status of their own, including not enrolled this session. - **What each family owes.** The list shows every family’s lifetime balance across all their children. Staff without fee access see it hidden. - **One invoice for the family.** Open a family invoice from the list and collect for all the children in one payment. - **Find the family you need.** Search by name, phone or email. Start with the newest families, or sort by age of record, name, most children, or most owed. Money-based sorting follows fee access. Custom fields can appear as list columns. ### Find a family. See the whole household. EnrolledProspectiveLeft 1. **Mr & Mrs Okafor** 3 children linked **₦35,000** Lifetime balance 2. **Mrs Bello** 1 child linked **₦0** Lifetime balance 3. **Mr & Mrs Danjuma** 4 children linked **₦62,500** Lifetime balance Family invoices, children and custom columns remain within reach. Fee figures and “Most owed” sorting follow staff access. Try sorting or finding a family. Fictional records shown with fee access; a zero balance does not mean its history can be deleted. Working with several families ## Handle the list without losing the family. Select several families and mark those with children still at school as left together, using one status, date and reason. Each child keeps their school record. - **Departure has the same effects.** Outstanding fees are written off and pocket money returns to family wallets, as when a family is handled on its own. Graduates and children who have already left are not marked again. - **Delete only unused setup records.** Bulk deletion applies to families without history. A family’s own payments, wallet activity or a child’s school history keep the whole family protected, even if its current balance is zero. - **Decide what happens to children.** When deleting an unused family, choose whether eligible children go too. A single unused parent can instead have its children moved to another guardian. Records that cannot be deleted are reported back. Fictional families. Deletion is only available for unused setup records without family or child history. FAQs ## Parents & families questions Families and siblings in SMS. [Still have a question?](https://academium.com.ng/main/page-contact) ### How do siblings share a parent? Admit each child under the same parent record. They then appear together on the parent’s profile. ### Do parents sign in to SMS? No. SMS is used by your school’s staff. ### Does importing a matching surname automatically link a family? No. Phone or email matching can reuse the guardian. Similar family names appear as optional recommendations: inspect the contact details and children, then choose the family or use the uploaded details. ### Can we delete a family whose balance is zero? A zero balance does not mean there is no history. A family with payments, wallet activity or any child’s school history is kept. Delete is for unused setup records; use the guardian-change or mark-as-left workflows when school records already exist. ### Can one payment cover several children? Yes, with the family wallet. A parent’s balance can pay fees for the children linked to them. ## Keep every family together in Academium SMS. Download Academium SMS and set up your school, try a demo, or start in free mode. [](https://academium.com.ng/downloads?product=sms)[Explore other features](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features)