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

# How do I message a family member from the Families page?

> Open a family in the coach portal, click a person, and use the Club conversation card to start or reopen your chat with them.

<Note>
  **Must know**

  * **Where it is.** Open **Families**, open a family and click a person to find the **Club conversation** card.
  * **Web Only, at your current club.** It starts or reopens your chat as **Web Only** and takes you to **Chat**. Switch the channel if they need a text or email.
  * **Not everyone has it.** Only people with their own login get the card. It says contact options are unavailable if they can't receive communications at your club.
</Note>

**Where to find it.** Click **Families** in the sidebar. On phones, tap **More**, then **Families**. The page ("See each athlete's family, relationships, and access.") lists families with an athlete at your current club, not only your programs.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open a family">
    Click the family's name, or find it with **Search families, guardians, or athletes...**
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click a person">
    Click them in the **Tree** or **People** view (phones open in **People**). A panel opens with their name at the top.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Message [name]">
    In the **Club conversation** card, click the button, for example **Message Jane Smith**. **Chat** opens on that conversation.
  </Step>
</Steps>

**What happens next.** If you have chatted with them before, that thread opens with its history. A **Closed** or **Archived** chat reopens, and a **Web & SMS** or **Web & Email** chat switches to **Web Only**, so [switch the channel](/coaches/coach-messaging/coach-chat-switch-channel) again if needed. Otherwise a new **Web Only** chat starts. This page, an athlete's profile and **New Conversation** all open that same thread.

**From an athlete's profile.** Click a person in the **Family** section ("The people connected to this athlete.") for the same panel and card.

**What the card can say.**

| You see | What it means |
| - | - |
| No card | The person has no login (for example an athlete with no account), or it is you. |
| "Checking contact options..." | The check is still running. |
| "Contact options are unavailable for this person at your active club." | They are not in your **New Conversation** list: they cannot receive communications about an athlete at your club. |
| "Contact options could not be loaded." | The check failed. Click **Try again**. |
| A red reason under the button, such as "This person cannot receive athlete communications in this club" | The chat could not be started. |

**Another club.** The card checks your current club only, so switch clubs first to message someone at another club.

**Related:** [How do I see an athlete's family in the coach portal?](/coaches/coach-your-day/view-athlete-families) · [How do I message a family contact from an athlete's profile?](/coaches/coach-messaging/coach-chat-message-from-athlete-profile) · [Which families can I message from the coach portal?](/coaches/coach-messaging/coach-chat-who-can-i-message) · [How do I switch a chat to a different channel?](/coaches/coach-messaging/coach-chat-switch-channel)