--- title: Onboarding Parents to VSware description: How to create VSware accounts for Parents. This guide is intended for school administration staff. (Read time 5 minutes) --- [Skip to content](https://support.vsware.ie/en/onboarding-parents-to-vsware#main-content) English Show submenu for translations ![VS-Logo-1.jpg\]](https://support.vsware.ie/hs-fs/hubfs/VS-Logo-1.jpg?height=40&name=VS-Logo-1.jpg) - [Tickets](https://support.vsware.ie/tickets-view) - [Sign out](https://support.vsware.ie/_hcms/mem/logout) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Tickets](https://support.vsware.ie/tickets-view) - [Sign out](https://support.vsware.ie/_hcms/mem/logout) - English Show submenu for translations - Go to vsware.ie Go to vsware.ie Hello. How can we help you? - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. 1. [Help Center](https://support.vsware.ie/en?hsLang=en) 2. [Unpublished, temp folder](https://support.vsware.ie/en/unpublished-temp-folder?hsLang=en) # Onboarding Parents to VSware ## How to create VSware accounts for Parents. This guide is intended for school administration staff. (Read time 5 minutes) > Please note that any guardian, parent, or individual responsible for a student is generally referred to as a ''contact'' in VSware.  **Note on Parent Access and Additional Features** By default, all VSware schools have the option to provide parents with access to the parent app and desktop login at no extra cost. This enables parents to view information such as attendance, assessments, results, timetables, and behavior, based on what the school chooses to share. Schools that opt for the Communications Package unlock additional features to share with parents, including: - VS-Mail - Absence Requests - Permission Slips ### **Quick Overview of the Onboarding Process** To ensure a smooth onboarding process to VSware for parents, there are a few essential data checks that need to be completed. This may take some time depending on the number of contacts, but it’s a one-time task. 1. **Ensure siblings are linked properly** First, verify that siblings are correctly linked within the system. If not, it may result in duplicate contacts, which can lead to complications when creating accounts. Visit the guide on how to do this [here](https://support.vsware.ie/en/linking-siblings-incoming-1st-years?hsLang=en), and then return to this guide. 2. **Ensure Each Contact is Listed in Household Tab** Each contact who needs access should be listed under a student's *Household* tab. You can decide on a case-by-case basis if multiple contacts in a household should each have accounts. 3. **Check and Correct Contact Details** Review each contact’s information—name, mobile number, and relationship to the student—to ensure that it's up to date and correct. 4. **Customise Notifications and Communication Settings for Each Contact** You can specify what type of specific communications and notifications each contact will receive for each individual contact. While not mandatory for onboarding, setting these now will save time later. These settings are applied on an individual level. 5. **Define What Information Contacts Can Access ** In *Users and Groups,* decide which information (such as student grades, attendance, or timetable) contacts will have access to when they log in to their VSware accounts. These settings are applied in bulk for all contacts. 6. **Generate Parent Accounts in Bulk** When the details are correct and permissions configured, create accounts for all selected contacts in one go. (Don't worry, they won't be alerted just yet!) 7. **Verify Usernames Before Sending the SMS** Double check that the usernames have been successfully created. 8. **Notify Parents of Their Accounts** Once everything is done, notify parents about their accounts. The easiest way to notify contacts in bulk is by SMS, providing their username along with instructions for accessing the app or website and setting their password. --- ### Onboarding Parents to VSware ### Step 1: **Ensure siblings are linked properly** Start off by verifying that siblings are correctly linked within the system. If not, it may result in duplicate parent details, which can lead to complications when creating accounts. Visit the guide on how to do this [here.](https://support.vsware.ie/en/linking-siblings-incoming-1st-years?hsLang=en)Once your sibling links are in order, you can proceed to the next step. ### Steps 2, 3 and 4: Prepare Contact Information and Settings Next, check that each contact who needs access is listed under the student’s *Household* tab. You can decide if one or multiple contacts in a household should have accounts, but there must be a name listed here in order to proceed. If a the name of a contact is missing, you can add a new one by clicking 'Add New Contact' on the top of the screen.  **Update Contact Details**: For each contact, make sure they have the following details saved: - **Relationship to Student:** (e.g., Mother, Father, Other). While you can select any relationship type for a contact, such as Grandmother or Step-Father, report generation is currently limited to the categories of Mother, Father, and Other. Therefore, it is recommended to choose one of these three options when creating VSware accounts to allow for accurate reporting. - **Mobile Number:** Each contact needs a mobile number saved in VSware. This number is necessary for setting up their initial password and any future password resets. **Tip 1: **There are a few criteria that have to be met when entering mobile numbers - The number has to be Irish (e.g. 0830123456) or UK (e.g. 44123456789) - Spanish, or other EU numbers won't work - A space anywhere in the number (even at the end will stop it from working) - Best practice is to **not** copy and paste as it's very easy to enter spaces that way **Tip 2:** Use the *Two-Factor Authentication Report* to find any contacts missing a mobile number. Go to *Settings* \> *Two-Factor Auth Report*, select *Contacts for Students*, and hit "Go" to see a list of contacts without numbers. - **Notification Permissions** (optional): Customise which notifications the contact will receive based on your school’s needs. Hover over the ‘i’ icons to learn more about each option. It's best to get this task out of the way now without having to double up on work and go back and edit these later. ![](https://support.vsware.ie/hs-fs/hubfs/image-png-Nov-06-2024-01-09-40-7793-PM.png?width=443&height=98&name=image-png-Nov-06-2024-01-09-40-7793-PM.png) **Tip 1:** We suggest enabling all three notification permissions for any contact you want to keep in touch with the school. Even if you do not currently have the VS-Mail feature from the Communications Package, having these notifications activated from the outset will streamline future communications. **Tip 2:** You might notice an option called *Enable Access to vsware.ie* on contact screen. Selecting this and saving will create an account immediately. However, for bulk setups, you don’t need to enable each individually—keep going with setting up details for all contacts first ### Step 5: Define What Information Contacts Can Access  Now that the contact names and details are up to date, think about what information you want parents to see when they log in. Schools can customise this based on their engagement objectives: - Go to Settings and *Users and Groups*. - Under *Available Permissions,* select *Contact* to see all the relevant permissions. Select the features you wish to grant parents access to by adding or removing them from the Contact column. You can always adjust these settings later, so feel free to start with a basic setup and expand as needed. ![gif](https://support.vsware.ie/hs-fs/hubfs/gif.gif?width=688&height=420&name=gif.gif) ### Step 6: Generate Accounts in Bulk Once all contact details are up to date and the Users and Groups permissions are in order, it’s time to generate the accounts in bulk. To be specific, what you're actually doing in this step is simply auto-generating the **usernames** for all the relevant contacts in one go. VSware does not generate passwords, the contacts will set their passwords themselves later on.  *Remember*: Creating the accounts/usernames is just the first step; parents won't be aware of any changes until you notify them later, so there’s no need to worry about parents logging in at this stage. 1. Go to *System Settings*. 2. Choose the year group (or groups) you want to enable for account activation. Starting with first-year parents can be a helpful trial before expanding to other year groups, but you can select whichever year groups suit your needs.![](https://support.vsware.ie/hs-fs/hubfs/image-png-Nov-06-2024-12-01-39-8232-PM.png?width=342&height=199&name=image-png-Nov-06-2024-12-01-39-8232-PM.png) 3. If this is *not* your first time creating Parental Accounts, and some already exist in the system, select 'No' for 'Overwrite Usernames & Passwords Already Set, to avoid disruption to contacts with existing accounts.  4. Select *Generate Parental Accounts*. **Tip: Early VSware Account Setup for Incoming 1st Years** Some schools prepare for the new academic year by setting up VSware accounts for incoming 1st-year parents during the summer/before school starts. This allows parents to begin paying fees, get familiar with the app, and feel more connected to the school, making the transition smoother when the term begins.  To set up accounts for incoming 1st years before the new school year starts, you must temporarily move VSware forward a year by selecting the upcoming **Academic Year**, clicking the **cog button** and choosing **Just Me**. Assuming all the parent contact info is correct, you create accounts as usual in System Settings. Select **1st Year** when generating accounts. Once accounts are created, you can return to the current academic year. You can send the SMS to inform parents/contacts of their new usernames and accounts by selecting 'Incoming First Year' as the recipient group.  ### Step 7: Verify Usernames Before Sending the SMS Before notifying parents about their new VSware accounts via SMS, it’s good practice to confirm that all usernames have been successfully created. To check: 1. Go to Groups \> select the relevant year group \> click View List. 2. Go to Actions \> Print Student Data. 3. In the fields selection, choose: - **Full Name** (to display the student’s name), - **Mother Username**, - **Father Username**, and - **Other Username**. 4. Generate the report. Review the report to ensure all usernames are populated. If they are, you’re ready to send the SMS to parents. ### Step 8: Notify Contacts of Their Account Now that accounts are generated, it’s time to share the news with contacts and help them dive into their new VSware accounts. You could share the information one by one if you like, but the most efficient method to do this in bulk is through SMS.  1. Go to *Admin \> Notifications \> SMS * 2. Choose the relevant recipient year groups. 3. Type in the SMS text and click *Send* *![](https://support.vsware.ie/hs-fs/hubfs/image-png-Nov-06-2024-12-30-40-9988-PM.png?width=489&height=317&name=image-png-Nov-06-2024-12-30-40-9988-PM.png)* > Note: The items with hashtags (#FNAME and #USERNAME) are placeholders for mail merge. They will automatically fill in the contact's name and the new username you just created, making it personalised for each recipient. ### Parents Are Ready to Go – What’s Next? Once your contacts receive their SMS instructions, they can set their own passwords and access VSware. And that's it! Your contacts are set up, logged in, and ready to engage with their child’s school experience through VSware. With parents online, your school can reduce traditional communication costs and potentially eliminate SMS fees by utilising VSware's integrated features. ---       - [Frequently Asked Questions](https://support.vsware.ie/en/frequently-asked-questions?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Login and clearing the cache FAQ (all users)](https://support.vsware.ie/en/frequently-asked-questions?hsLang=en#login-and-clearing-the-cache-faq-all-users) - [Teacher FAQ](https://support.vsware.ie/en/frequently-asked-questions?hsLang=en#teacher-faq) - [Timetable FAQ](https://support.vsware.ie/en/frequently-asked-questions?hsLang=en#timetable-faq) - [Managing Students and general administration FAQ](https://support.vsware.ie/en/frequently-asked-questions?hsLang=en#managing-students-and-general-administration-faq) - [Guides for Parents](https://support.vsware.ie/en/guides-for-parents?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Parent App Video Guides](https://support.vsware.ie/en/guides-for-parents?hsLang=en#parent-app-video-guides) - 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