We are working to integrate the database with the pastoral care. A particular concern has arisen with people who specify a group as their pastoral support, as the database does not have provision for recording which group. There is a strong feeling that specifying a group should not be a substitute for have an individual person identified, that is that each group acting as pastoral support should be asked to identify a member who coordinates pastoral care in that group. Options would seem to be:

Action

Operation

Good & Bad

Create a field for "Pastoral support group", ideally with a popup for groups.

This would only be filled in if Pastoral support was set to group.

It would not make clear the actual person or persons responsible for this care. And where that connection would be kept is not clear. People with group support would not appear in lists of visitors and their "visitees".

Enter the person responsible in the Visitor field, and treat them as for other visitors.

This would require changing the Visitor name if and when this person changes. The groups currently used include all F.I.S.H. groups, Wednesday Youth, Monday Young Adults, Youth group, Adult Group, 8am group, Mens' group, Choir, UCAF, Children and Families, Jit's group, Lois' group, Free Spirit, Elders' group, Pastoral Care Committee, Leisure Time, Club 2011. Most of these will not frequently change the pastoral care person, but some changes will occur, and identifying the group from the person will not be clear if a person is a "real" visitor as well as a pastoral care coordinator of a group. Lists of visitors are easy.

Combine the above.

Add a Pastoral support group field to each person and also fill the Visitor field.

The information is all there, updating is still needed, but no ambiguity. Changing the person would involve finding persons with support from that group, and then change the Visitor field for those persons. Also lists of Pastoral care persons and who they are caring for are easy to get.

Create a field for "Pastoral support group", and adding a pastoral care role to each of the groups

Getting a visitors list would be messy.

Creating fake persons as eg "Gold FISH Pastoral carer".

This may have unforeseen consequences, and again would not identify the responsible person.

Other suggestions? Comments?