California · Caregiver's authorization affidavit
California caregiver authorization affidavit signing requirements
Lets an adult a child lives with — a grandparent, an aunt, a family friend — enrol the child in school and consent to medical care, without a court order.
Verified against the current statute text on 2026-09-19 by Michael Seutin, California Notary Public, commission 2518648.
Witnesses
None.
Notary
Not required. The affidavit is signed under penalty of perjury and is valid as it stands. Some schools and clinics ask for a notarization anyway; when they do, it is a jurat.
The statute
Family Code §6550 and §6552
Recording
Never recorded.
What California law requires
A caregiver who is 18 or older and who the child lives with may sign the affidavit. Completing items 1 to 4 lets any caregiver enrol the child in school and consent to school-related medical care. A relative who also completes items 5 to 8 may consent to medical and dental care the way a guardian can. Family Code §6550.
A parent's decision overrides the caregiver's. If the parent or legal custodian decides differently about medical or dental care, the parent's decision controls — unless following it would jeopardise the child's life, health or safety. Family Code §6550.
The affidavit stops working the moment the school or provider learns the child no longer lives with the caregiver. Family Code §6550.
The form is prescribed by statute and was amended effective January 1, 2026 (Stats. 2025, ch. 664). Use the current form; an old version can be refused. It is signed under penalty of perjury, which is why a notarization, if asked for, is a jurat rather than an acknowledgment. Family Code §6552.
From the signings
Schools in Solano County accept the plain affidavit. The request for a notary comes from the grandparent who wants the authority to survive a phone call from a parent. When I notarize it, it is a jurat — the caregiver swears to it in front of me — and the caregiver, not the parent, is the one who has to be at the table.
At the signing
- 1
The caregiver signs, not the parent. The parent's role is to be notified, and to override if they choose.
- 2
Use the statutory form current as of this year; the 2026 amendment changed it.
- 3
If a school or clinic asks for a notary, the caregiver swears to the affidavit in the notary's presence — a jurat — with government photo ID.
- 4
A non-relative caregiver gets school authority only. Medical authority beyond school care needs a relative, or a guardianship.
Common questions
No. Family Code §6552 has it signed under penalty of perjury and no notarization is required. Schools and clinics sometimes ask for one; when they do, the notary administers a jurat.
Yes, if the child lives with them and they are 18 or older. A non-relative's authority covers school enrolment and school-related medical care only. Broader medical consent needs a relative, under Family Code §6550.
No. The parent can override any decision, and the affidavit ends when the child stops living with the caregiver. It is a bridge, not custody.
Sources
General information about how a document is executed under California law, not advice about your situation. A notary public is not an attorney and cannot choose a document for you or fill one in. The full disclaimer.