Last Updated August 18, 2022
Parents and legal guardians use a Child Medical Consent form to give another person the authority to make medical decisions for their children.
You can customize LawDepot’s Child Medical Consent template to align with your child’s situation and needs. Simply answer a set of questions, then download your document as a PDF or print a hard copy.
A Child Medical Consent form is also known as a:
- Caregiver Consent Form
- Consent for Medical Treatment of a Minor
- Medical Treatment Authorization Form
It’s important to use a Child Medical Consent form to authorize medical treatments for your minor child when you’re not there.
For instance, your child may need routine treatments (e.g., asthma inhaler) at daycare or school. Or, they may travel with a sports team or school group and need emergency treatments after an accident.
In any case, if your child isn’t old enough to consent to medical treatments, you’ll likely need to give parental consent.
If caregivers or healthcare professionals act without proper consent, they may face legal consequences (although, some jurisdictions make exceptions in emergencies).
Alternatively, your child’s condition could worsen or cause physical pain while healthcare workers wait for permission to act.
Good news: a Child Medical Consent form helps prevent these situations.
Can a child consent to medical treatment?
The legal age for a child to consent to general health care varies by state. However, most states don’t allow people to make these decisions until they reach the legal age of majority (typically between 18 and 21).
If a state allows a minor to consent to medical treatments, they may apply restrictions such as:
- The minor must show sufficient understanding of the treatment and its consequences
- The parents or guardians cannot be reached
- The minor lives apart from their guardians and manages their own financial affairs (i.e., the minor is emancipated)
- The minor is or was married
- The minor serves in the military
Parents and legal guardians can use a Child Medical Consent form to grant authority to their child’s temporary caregivers, including:
- Grandparents or other family members
- Daycare and childcare providers
- Sports team coaches
- Teachers
- Babysitters
- Nannies
Most importantly, if you plan to travel without your child or if your child plans to travel without you, it’s a safe bet to create a Child Medical Consent to prepare for emergencies. Give this document to your child’s temporary guardian to use if needed.
Use LawDepot’s Child Medical Consent template to create a document unique to your child and their situation.
1. Provide the personal details of the parties involved
Include the names, contact info, and any important details (e.g., parental custody) about the temporary guardian, the legal guardians, and the child.
2. List your child’s health history and other medical details
If applicable, include details such as:
- Health insurance coverage
- Contact info for a family doctor and emergency contact person
- Any illnesses, medical conditions, allergies, or medication your child has
3. Explain the conditions of your consent
Specify which emergency and routine treatments you do and do not consent to.
LawDepot’s Child Medical Consent template allows you to:
- Consent to all treatments
- Withhold consent to certain treatments (you’ll need to specify which ones)
- Withhold consent to all treatments
You can also allow (or prohibit) access to your child’s medical and insurance records. For example, you may allow the caregiver to communicate with physicians but prohibit them from viewing insurance claims, lab reports, or x-rays.
Finally, the Child Medical Consent should state when the caregiver’s authority begins and, typically, when it ends. Without an end date, the guardian’s authority continues indefinitely (or until you send a revocation letter to all relevant parties).
Should I notarize my Child Medical Consent?
In most cases, it’s ideal to notarize a Medical Consent form because it helps ensure your document is legally valid.
A notary public:
- Verifies the identity of the signing parties
- Ensures the parties understand the agreement
- Puts their official stamp or seal on the document
If you don’t plan to notarize your document, LawDepot’s Medical Consent template will have a space for two witnesses to sign. A witness should be an independent third party who has no ties to the parent or child. A temporary caregiver should not be a witness.
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