# Parents & families — Academium SMS

[View the HTML page](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features/parents-and-families/)

> Keep each family together: a parent’s details, their children and what they owe, where each family stands, and what happens to the children when a family leaves.

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.

[Download to get started](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.

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.
    
-   **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.

Removing a parent

## Children are moved, not lost.

Removing a parent asks what should happen to their children first.

-   **Move them to another parent.** Choose a different parent on record to take the children.
    
-   **Fee history protected.** A child with any fee record can only be moved, never deleted with the parent.
    

Before a fictional parent is removed, their children move to another parent. A child with fee records can only be moved.

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.
    
-   **Your own columns.** Custom fields your school adds for parents can be shown as columns on the list.
    

Fictional families with their lifetime balance.

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.

### 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.

[Download to get started](https://academium.com.ng/downloads?product=sms) [Explore other features](https://academium.com.ng/sms/features)