🔒 The new Limited Parent Access feature is gradually being rolled out across all packages. If you don’t see it on your platform just yet, don't worry! It’ll be available to you soon
What is the Limited Parent Access Role?
The Limited Parent Access role is designed for separated parents who need to keep their personal information private from each other. When this option is enabled, it ensures privacy between parents while maintaining their access to important information about their child.
Who Should Use The Limited Parent Access Role?
The Limited parent access role is particularly useful for:
Divorced or separated parents who do not wish to see each other’s details but still need access to their child's information
Parents with personal privacy concerns regarding their contact information
What Happens When a Parent Has a Limited Parent Role?
Parents with the Limited parent access role:
Cannot see the other parent’s contact details, including their name, phone number, or email
Cannot add new contacts to the child’s profile
Cannot send one-on-one messages to the other parent, and vice versa
Can see when the other parent interacts with posts (e.g., liking or commenting) in the newsfeed
Other parents cannot see their contact details, even if they have a full Parent role
Limited Parents will still have full access to child-related information.
💡 Please note that this means they will still be able to see pickup times even if those are when the other contacts are picking up that child, accident reports, and Holiday RSVPs
Keep an eye out for the icons! An orange icon means Limited Parent, and a green one means full access, so you’ll always know at a glance.
When a parent with a regular Parent role logs in, they'll see other contacts in the Family tab on their child's profile. This example parent, Wren, has a regular Parent role and can see Walter, the child's other parent when she logs in:
When a parent with the Limited parent role logs in, they'll only be able to see their own contact information. Other contacts will be hidden from them and they won't be able to add new contacts. Wren's now been assigned a Limited parent role, so she's only able to see her own contact information and can no longer see Walter's section in the Family tab:
When a parent with full access logs in, they cannot see the limited parent in the list of contacts. They'll still be able to add contacts and view other contacts that don't have a limited role. When Walter logs in, he won't be able to see Wren, who has a limited access role:
How to Add a Limited Parent Role
Staff can assign parents limited roles when adding a new child and their contacts, or change an existing parent's role to limited.
Add a new limited parent
To add a new child and create a limited access role for their contact:
Head to Children in your sidebar
Click on Add child
Enter the new child's information and enter their contact's name
Next, invite their contact as a parent and toggle on Limited access
Click on Save and invite to confirm
💡 You can also enable this role when adding a new contact via a child's profile in the Family tab by selecting the Parent role and toggling on Limited access
Change an existing parent to a limited role
To add a Limited parent role to an existing contact:
Head to a child's profile and click on the Family tab
Select the contact you'd like to limit access for
Click on Role and toggle on Limited access under Parent
Save the changes
Before you can continue, you will receive a warning to check that the limited parent is not an invoice recipient on the other contact's invoices, as this would give them access to the contact’s address. Click on Go to Bookings to make sure the limited parent isn't listed as an Invoice recipient for the other parent if they're a bill payer:
Once you're in the Bookings tab, to remove a limited parent as an invoice recipient:
Click on View account in the Bill Payers box
From here, scroll down to the Invoice Recipients section
Check that the limited parent isn't listed as an invoice recipient for the other parent's invoices
If they are, click on the x next to their name (you may need to hover your mouse over their name if you're using Famly on a computer)
Once you remove the limited parent as an Invoice recipient, they'll have the limited parent role assigned to their child's profile.
💡 Assigning parent limited access is managed by nursery staff only. Parents cannot change their own, or other parent's access level
Messaging Parents with a Limited Role
Parents with limited access won’t be able to start a conversation with other contacts of their child. They can still see past conversations, but those will be locked, so no changes or additions can be made.
To make sure important messages reach Parents with limited access, we don’t restrict group chats that include them along with other contacts. This means staff can still send messages to a room or the whole site and include all parents, including those with limited access. It's up to staff to decide whether they want to create a group message with the limited parent and other contacts for the same child.
Reciprocity and the Limited Parent Role
It’s important to remember that the limitations work both ways. If a Parent (limited access) can’t see certain information about other contacts, then those other contacts won’t be able to see the Parent (limited access) information either.
💡 For example, a parent with limited access can’t start a one-on-one conversation with another parent. Similarly, the other parent can’t start a one-on-one conversation with the limited access parent
Limited Parent & Bill Payer Information
When it comes to invoicing, you’ll need to manually check the Invoice recipients. Invoice recipients have access to the bill payer’s address information, which you might want to avoid sharing. Limited parents can be set as invoice recipients, so it’s important for you to be mindful when assigning this role.
If you're adding a new Invoice recipient, you'll be warned that the child has contacts with limited access, so make sure you're not adding limited parents as invoice recipients if you don't want them to see the other contact's address.
Staff Members with a Limited Parent Role
If a staff member that is also a parent has been assigned a limited parent role on their parent profile, their staff permissions will take priority. This means that when they are in their staff role, they will have access to everything they need for that role. If their permissions allow, they will be able to see all contact data while working in their staff context.
FAQs About The Limited Parent Access Role
Q: Can a Limited parent see their child’s profile?
A: Yes, they can still view all the important information about their child, just not details about the other parent.
Q: Can a Limited parent still communicate with the nursery?
A: Yes, they can send messages to nursery staff, but they cannot message the other parent.
Q: Can this role be updated later?
A: Yes, nursery staff can adjust the settings if circumstances change.
Q: If a parent has more than one child at the nursery, does the Limited parent role need to be enabled on each child’s profile?
A: Yes, the Limited parent role must be enabled separately for each child. This is because a parent might need limited access for one child but not the other. If the role is needed for both children, it must be toggled on for that parent in both profiles.