> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.relyant.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Families

> See siblings and their guardians grouped into family cards

**Families** groups students who share a guardian into one card. Use it to see siblings and everyone responsible for them in one place.

## How families are built

You don't create families directly. Relyant builds them from guardian links on student profiles:

* Students who share at least one guardian go in the same family. This includes sharing through a chain of guardians, for example two half-siblings linked through a common parent.
* A guardian counts as shared when it's the same member account, or a contact with the same email or phone number on each student. Names alone never match, because spellings vary.
* A student with no guardians appears in a family of their own.

> [!TIP]
>
> When you import students with their guardians, a parent listed on several rows with the same email or phone becomes one family. See [Import students](https://docs.relyant.app/edu/people/import-students.md).

* Families are sorted by the primary guardian's last name. If a family has no guardians, the first student's last name is used.

To change a family, add or remove guardians on a student's profile. See [Guardians](https://docs.relyant.app/edu/people/guardians.md).

## View families

In the left rail, click **People**, then **Families**. Search by guardian name, guardian email, or student name.

Each card has two sections:

* **Guardians** — each guardian's name and relationship, such as **Mother**, **Father**, **Grandparent**, or **Foster carer**, with the primary guardian listed first. A guardian shared by several siblings is listed once. A **Background** note appears if one has been added. Click a guardian with a linked account to open their guardian record.
* **Students** — each child's name, status, grade, and class.

> [!TIP]
>
> Use the **Per page** selector at the bottom of the grid to show more cards at once.

## Add family background

Family background is a note about a family's situation, such as a recent move or a preferred communication style. It's visible to staff across all of the guardian's students.

**1. Open a student**

Open the profile of any student in the family.

**2. Edit the background**

In the **Guardians** card on the **Overview** tab, click the background icon next to a guardian to add or edit their **Family Background**.

**3. Save**

Save the note. It now appears on the family card.

You can also edit family background from the guardian's record.

## Next steps

> [card] [Students](https://docs.relyant.app/edu/people/students.md)
>
> Link guardians from a student's profile.

> [card] [Guardians](https://docs.relyant.app/edu/people/guardians.md)
>
> Review guardians with linked accounts.


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