Parent and guardian consent for in-person events: a checklist for program staff
What to collect from the parents of minors before an in-person event, how to know who is a minor, and how to get signatures without printing anything.
When students under 18 attend an in-person event, most organizations need written consent from a parent or guardian. This checklist covers what programs typically collect and how to do it without paper. It is not legal advice, so check your organization's own requirements.
Know who is a minor
Ask for school level on the application, and decide which levels count as adults. College students are usually adults; high school students usually are not. A birthdate or an explicit under-18 question can override the default for edge cases.
Collect the guardian's contact on the application
Ask for a guardian name and email for each student under 18 when they apply. It saves a round of follow-up later, when time is short.
What a consent form usually includes
- A plain description of the event: date, place, supervision, and transport
- Medical information or allergies staff should know
- An emergency contact and phone number
- A photo and media release, if you take pictures
- The guardian's signature and the date
Send it to the guardian, not the student
Applicantly's parent or guardian consent template sends each minor's guardian a personal link. Guardians review the form, type their name, and agree, with no account needed. The signature is recorded with the time.
For events with minors on site, the built-in in-person compliance flow also asks the guardian to sign first and the student second, and produces a PDF with an audit trail.
Track who is missing
The form page lists everyone you are still waiting on, and any minors without a guardian email on file. Resend to the stragglers with one click.
Set the consent form to send automatically when a team is confirmed for the in-person event, so nobody has to remember.
