Family Linking

The family linking system connects parents, guardians, and children through a junction table called family_members. This creates a flexible family structure that supports any combination of relationships.

How Family Linking Works

The system uses three connected tables:

1. Parents (parents table) -- Individual parent/guardian records with contact information.
2. Leads (children/applicants) -- The applicant records representing students.
3. Family Members (family_members table) -- The junction table that links parents to children and defines relationships.

Each row in the family members table connects:

• A parent (via parent_id)
• A child/lead (via lead_id)
• A role that describes the relationship

Supported Roles

The system supports the following family member roles:

Role	Description
mother	Biological or adoptive mother
father	Biological or adoptive father
guardian	Legal guardian
step_mother	Stepmother
step_father	Stepfather
other	Any other relationship
child	The child/student themselves

Family Structure Examples

Simple Family

Parent: Jane Smith (mother) --> Child: Emma Smith
Parent: John Smith (father) --> Child: Emma Smith

Multi-Child Family

Parent: Jane Smith (mother) --> Child: Emma Smith
Parent: Jane Smith (mother) --> Child: Oliver Smith
Parent: John Smith (father) --> Child: Emma Smith
Parent: John Smith (father) --> Child: Oliver Smith

Blended Family

Parent: Jane Smith (mother) --> Child: Emma Smith
Parent: Tom Brown (step_father) --> Child: Emma Smith
Parent: Tom Brown (father) --> Child: Leo Brown

How Links Are Established

Automatic Linking from Forms

When a family submits an admissions form:

1. The system extracts parent/guardian information from form fields.
2. It searches for existing parent records by email within the school.
3. If a match is found, the existing parent is linked to the new lead.
4. If no match is found, a new parent record is created.
5. A family member record is created with the appropriate role.

Automatic Linking from Imports

When importing leads from CSV/XLSX:

1. Parent columns (e.g., parent_email, parent_relationship) are processed.
2. The same find-or-create logic applies.
3. Family member links are established with the imported role.

Manual Linking

Staff can manually create or modify family links from the lead detail page or parent management interface.

Viewing Family Connections

From a Lead's Perspective

On a lead's detail page, you can see all parents/guardians linked to that child:

• Parent names, emails, and phone numbers.
• The role of each parent (mother, father, guardian, etc.).

From a Parent's Perspective

Viewing a parent record shows all children/leads linked to that parent:

• Child names, programs, and current pipeline stages.
• The relationship role for each child.

Multiple Parents per Lead

A single lead can have multiple parents linked:

• Two parents is the most common (mother and father).
• Additional guardians can be added for complex family situations.
• Each link has its own role designation.

Same Parent, Multiple Children

When a parent has multiple children in the system:

• One parent record exists.
• Separate family member records link the parent to each child.
• Updating the parent's contact information affects all linked leads.

TIP

This is one of the key benefits of the family linking architecture. When a parent changes their phone number, you update it once on the parent record, and it is reflected across all their children's records.

Unlinking Family Members

Family links can be removed when they are no longer accurate:

• Remove the link from the lead detail page.
• The parent record itself is not deleted -- only the link between parent and child is removed.
• This is useful for correcting mistakes or handling custody changes.

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