Parental consent forms are necessary for various activities involving children, such as travel, medical decisions, and participation in programs. Schools and other service providers require them to reduce liability. Some forms allow children to act in certain ways, like getting married or obtaining a driver’s license. The issue of parental consent for minors seeking abortions is controversial.
Anyone who is a parent or legal guardian of a child will likely encounter many of the different types of parental consent forms at some point. Each form is slightly different and may allow for a variety of things. Many of them address consent to travel, give permission for a child to engage in a particular activity, or give another person the right to make medical decisions in emergency settings. Parental consent frees other people to act in certain ways as defined and frees them from fear of recriminations for the action. Consent forms are often a combination of giving permission and releasing other people from responsibility.
Schools tend to be the largest generators of these forms, sending emergency cards home in which parents consent for emergency medical care or authorize the children to be released to designated individuals. Other school forms include those that give a child permission to travel or go on an excursion. Many times schools need to have this permit before they can legally remove a child from campus. Educational institutions may require parents to complete a parental consent form when children participate in sex education programs or if exposure to objectionable material is anticipated.
Many other groups that offer services to children will ask for a parental consent form before allowing participation. Most sports programs ask parents to authorize participation and to decline any responsibility if the child is injured in any way. Summer camps operate on the same principle, and these liability waivers are sometimes troublesome for parents to sign. In some, parents are asked not to sue even if the actions of a group’s employees are criminal or willfully negligent, and many parents are hesitant to turn their children over to a group that would not accept blame for intentional and harmful actions against them. of their own children. The reason these liability releases can be so extensive is to reduce insurance costs for the group sponsoring the business, but this isn’t always a comfort to parents who are asked to sign them.
Less stringent release forms specify limited liability, and on a parental consent form, parents immediately remove some of the potential lawsuits. Giving a camp nurse consent to dispense medication eliminates the concern the nurse would have if she dispensed medication without a form. Having a parental consent form stating that a child may be taken from a close friend means that the hosting group or school has no legal problems when releasing the child to the friend.
Other types of parental consent forms allow children to act in certain ways. Among these are consent forms available in some states that allow children under the age of 18 to marry or to obtain a driver’s license. An issue in many regions is whether abortion clinics must require a parental consent form for minors. There are strong feelings on this issue on both sides.
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