California Caregiver's Authorization Affidavit

Introduction

Key Things to Know

1. 1

   The instrument is the Caregiver's Authorization Affidavit, signed by the caregiver (18 or older) under penalty of perjury, not by the parent, under Cal. Fam. Code sections 6550 and 6552. The Judicial Council publishes an official form (revised January 1, 2026); section 6552 requires the affidavit to be in substantially the form set out in that section.

2. 2

   It is not a court guardianship. It does not give the caregiver legal custody, and it cannot be used to keep a child in your care against the wishes of the child's parent. A parent can cancel it at any time.

3. 3

   The statute sets no term. The Judicial Council form says the affidavit does not expire, but the Judicial Council self-help page says to sign a new one each year. It ends once the school, health care provider, or health care service plan is notified the minor no longer lives with the caregiver.

4. 4

   No notary and no court filing are needed, and no parent signature is needed. The caregiver gives copies to the school, doctors, and county welfare office, and must notify each if the minor stops living with them. The section 6552 warnings must appear in not less than 10-point boldface type in a box with 3-point rules.

5. 5

   Any adult 18 or older may enroll the child in school and consent to school-related medical care. Only a relative (kinship within the fifth degree, including stepparents and spouses of relatives) gets the same medical and dental authority guardians have under Probate Code section 2353. Non-relatives may need resource family approval.

6. 6

   A provider who relies on a completed affidavit in good faith, with no actual knowledge of contrary facts, is protected from criminal and civil liability for medical and dental care and has no duty to inquire further. A parent's contrary medical decision supersedes the caregiver's unless it jeopardizes the child's life, health, or safety. The affidavit is valid only in California.

7. 7

   If this affidavit does not fit your situation or a court order is needed, a court can appoint a temporary guardian for a limited time (Prob. Code sections 2250 and 2257), and DocDraft has a guardianship of a minor petition page. Report abuse or danger to the child to the county child protective agency. For parent-versus-parent disputes, see DocDraft's child custody agreement and parenting plan pages.

California Requirements for Temporary Guardianship Agreement

• Caregiver Signs, Not the Parent

  The Caregiver's Authorization Affidavit is completed and signed by the caregiver, who must be 18 or older, under penalty of perjury. The Judicial Council form states that no parent signature is needed (Cal. Fam. Code sections 6550, 6552).

• Substantially the Statutory Form

  The affidavit must be in substantially the form set out in section 6552. The Judicial Council publishes an official Caregiver's Authorization Affidavit form (revised January 1, 2026) (Cal. Fam. Code section 6552).

• No Notary and No Court Filing

  The form is not required to be notarized and a seal or signature from a court is not required (Cal. Fam. Code section 6552). Judicial Council guidance on the form is that the caregiver gives copies to the school, doctors, and county welfare office.

• Required Boxed Warnings

  The affidavit is invalid unless it substantially contains the section 6552 warnings in not less than 10-point boldface type in a box with 3-point rules (Cal. Fam. Code section 6550(g)).

• No Statutory Term; Ends on Notice

  The statute sets no term, and official sources differ on renewal. The affidavit is invalid after the school, health care provider, or health care service plan receives notice that the minor no longer lives with the caregiver, and the caregiver must give that notice (Cal. Fam. Code section 6550(f)).

• School and Relative Medical Authority

  Any caregiver 18 or older may enroll the minor in school and consent to school-related medical care. A relative who completes items 1 to 8 of the section 6552 affidavit and signs it has the same rights to authorize medical and dental care as guardians under Prob. Code section 2353 (Cal. Fam. Code section 6550(a)).

• Relative Means Fifth Degree of Kinship

  A relative is related by blood, adoption, or affinity within the fifth degree, including stepparents, stepsiblings, great and grand relatives, and spouses (Cal. Fam. Code section 6550(h)(2)). Non-relatives are limited to school and school-related medical care (section 6550(a)) and may need resource family approval, as the official form explains.

• Limits: No Custody, Parent Can Override

  The affidavit gives no legal custody and cannot keep a minor in the caregiver's care against the parent's wishes. A parent's contrary medical decision supersedes unless it jeopardizes life, health, or safety, and the affidavit is valid only in California (Cal. Fam. Code sections 6550(b), 6552).

• Good-Faith Reliance Protection

  A medical or dental provider who relies in good faith on a completed affidavit, with no actual knowledge of contrary facts, is not subject to criminal or civil liability or professional discipline for medical or dental care, and has no duty to inquire further (Cal. Fam. Code section 6550(c), (d)).