Youth Ministry Permission Slip Template

You should issue permission slips to parents before holding any church event requiring you to care for the youth in the parents’ absence. Use the slips to communicate the activities that will be undertaken during the event, collect medical information, and obtain authorization for caring for the children to protect the church from potential lawsuits. 

Another reason for issuing permission slips is to demonstrate that you take the youth ministry’s well-being seriously and want to be adequately prepared with the necessary information should emergencies occur. To make sure the permission slip fulfills these uses, it needs to have the right information. This is why we have created a free downloadable template with a pre-designed layout to guide you on what to include in the youth ministry permission slip.

This template has been professionally designed to suit different youth events, from camps to movie nights. It has been structured such that all the necessary details are recorded on a single page, and the resulting permission slip is enforceable. 

How To Fill Out This Youth Ministry Permission Slip Template

While it is your responsibility and in your best interest as an organizer to have a permission slip signed by the parent, filling out this template requires both you and the parent to fill out your respective sections. 

What You Should Fill Out

Before issuing the youth ministry permission slip, some of the sections you should complete include;

• Event details – It is important to communicate the event details so that the parent can give informed consent after knowing where their child will be and the nature of the event. In this section, specify the title of the event, when it will happen, and the location and time.
• Transportation details – Transportation information helps the parent plan and schedule for their child to attend the event on time. You should specify the mode of transport, whether by the church bus, airplane, or cruise. Also, clarify when the group will depart from the assembling point and arrive at the destination.
• Code of conduct – At the bottom, the template has an itemized code of conduct that outlines how the participants are expected to behave during the event. You can use the blank spaces to add other specific guidelines or comments you want to relay to the parents. These guidelines are needed so that parents know the instructions that their children will be subjected to for this duration so they can communicate them beforehand. 

What the Parent Should Fill Out

The parent/guardian should fill out the remaining sections. These include;  

• Participant and parent/guardian details – It is important to identify the participant so that you can accurately register every youth attending the event. In the ‘participant information’ section, you should expect to find the child’s official name, age, email, and phone number. The parent should provide their name so that there is a precise record of who filled the permission slip. Also, they should specify their relationship with the participant, for example, mother, uncle, etc. Contact information is necessary so that you can have a way to reach them in case of emergencies. 
• Medical information – Another section for the parent is the “emergency procedures” segment, which captures the necessary medical information you ought to know in case the child gets a health emergency. The parent must provide an emergency contact to declare any allergies the participant may have and medications they could be taking. If the child is taking medications, the parent should outline the appropriate guidelines, such as dosage and administration instructions. This information illustrates your willingness to prioritize the participant’s well-being. 
• Consent and authorization – Under the ‘consent and authorization’ section, we have provided several clauses that define various consents under different contexts, such as permission to partake in the event and waiver of liability. These clauses use definite language to make sure the permission slip has legal value. The parent/guardian should mark each checkbox to ensure the slip is fully legally enforced. At the end, the parent should sign the document and write down the date of signing. 

Tips to Remember When Creating and Issuing a Permission Slip

You should remember some crucial points when filling out this youth ministry permission slip template. These include; 

• Even though the template is comprehensive, you can modify certain elements to make the permission slip match the specific situation. You can add the institution’s logo, slogan, and use fonts found in your official documentation. 
• You should check if the event involves any high-risk activities like mountain climbing. If so, make sure you declare these activities in the slip so that the parent can give informed consent based on truthful information.  
• A permission slip is an official and legal document. As such, the design should be minimalistic, with only the necessary components, simple colors, and enough white space to make its text legible. 
• You should issue the permission slip with enough notice so that parents can adequately schedule and plan for their child’s absence. 
• Ask the parents to return the signed permission slips before the date of the event. The slip is your proof of consent should any harm, injury, or illness come to the child while they are under your care.

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