Updated June 07, 2023
A South Carolina Guardian of Minor Power of Attorney Form is a legal document utilized by parents or guardians for the purpose of upholding their parental responsibilities to a child or minor in their care. This is a temporary delegation of guardian powers to be used if the child’s parents or legal guardians are not available to represent the concerned child’s best interests with institutions that directly deal with the child (i.e. hospitals, emergency rooms, schools, police officers, etc.).
This paperwork can make quite a difference in a child’s future since an absent Parent in a time of crisis can have long-lasting effects on a child’s future well-being. Whether the parent or guardian is drafting this power document must make sure the elected agent chosen is made fully aware of his or her responsibilities beforehand, have a clear line of communication with the issuing parent or guardian, and be very reliable. If the parent or guardian wishes to revoke this document, this should be done in writing. The powers delivered here can be terminated at any time by the principal parent or guardian.
How to Write
1 – The Paperwork A South Carolina Parent/Guardian Requires To Grant Power Should Be Obtained
You can obtain a workable copy of this appointment template by clicking on one of the three buttons placed beneath the template preview image. Open the file of your choice when you have gathered your information and are ready to supply it to this template.
2 – The Child Or Minor At The Focus Of Our Attention Must Be Clearly Named
Before proceeding to delegate Guardian Authority through this document, we will need to identify each Child or Minor concerned. Locate the roman numeral “I” in the margin. Use the first blank line in the corresponding sentence to report the Full and Legal Name of the Child or Minor being discussed. 
The Minor’s Date of Birth will also need to be recorded. You can use the next three blank spaces to enter the Calendar Day, Month, and Year of the Minor’s Birthday as it is recorded on his or her Birth Certificate
3 – Every Parent Or Guardian Charged With the Child’s Welfare Must Be Identified To Grant Power
The next portion of this statement will furnish the space needed to document each Child’s Parent or Guardian. This can be achieved rather succinctly. Locate the first blank line after the word “I,” then record the Full Name of the Child’s Parent or Current Court Appointed Guardian.
Next, it will be time to check one of two checkboxes to indicate whether the individual granting Guardian Authority is a Parent or Court Appointed Guardian. If he or she is the Child’s Parent, then check the first checkbox. If he or she is the Minor’s Court Appointed Guardian then mark the second checkbox.
The next three available spaces have been reserved so the Full Residential Address of the Parent or Guardian can be documented. Use the blank line after the words “…A Street Address Of” to record the Parent/GUardian’s BUilding Number, Street Name, and Unit Number. The next two blank spaces will call for the City and State where this Address is located entered on them (respectively).
In many cases, a Child/Minor will have two Parent or two Guardians. If this is such a case, you will need to record the same information for this entity under the words “(If Co-Guardian/Parent Exists).”
After the Parent(s)/Guardian(s) and Child/Minor have been identified, it will be time to solidify the delegation of Guardian Powers by specifically Naming their recipient. This Attorney-in-Fact will be the intended Guardian of this document. Find roman numeral “II” in the left margin. Here, on the first empty line after the words “I/We Hereby Appoint,” enter the Full Name of the intended Guardian/Attorney-in-Fact.
Our next task will be to define the relationship the intended Guardian holds with the Child/Minor. Record the nature of this relationship on the blank line that precedes the parentheses label “Relation”
Once the Name of the intended Guardian has been solidified and his or her relation to the Child reported, it will be time to enter his or her Building Number, Street Name, and Unit Number on the space following the words “…With A Street Address Of.” Follow this with this Address’s City and State on the next two blank lines.
4 – Plainly Describe The Power(s) Being Granted And When they Can Be Used BY The Guardian
Find the roman numeral “III.” The Principal will be presented with a choice in this area that he or she must initial to define. If the Principal intends to grant the full extent of his or her Guardianship Powers over the Minor to the Attorney-in-Fact, he or she will need to initial the blank line in choice “A” then fill in the checkbox next to it.
If the Principal only wishes to deliver Limited Guardian Powers to the Attorney-in-Fact, then he or she should initial the blank line after the letter “B” and mark the corresponding checkbox. Once completed, the Principal will need to define the extent of Guardian Powers he or she is delivering to the Attorney-in-Fact using the blank lines in this choice.
After defining the Principal Guardian Powers that will be delegated through this paperwork, we should indicate when the intended Guardian may begin using them and when he or she will no longer be able to use them. Enter the first Calendar Date when the Attorney-in-Fact may assume Principal Guardian Powers over the Minor using the three blank spaces in the sentence corresponding to the roman numeral “IV.”
Next, the Parent/Guardian will need to initial one of three statements to indicate what event will terminate the delivered Principal Guardian Powers. If the Parent/Guardian wants to set a natural Expiration Date for these Powers, he or she may do so by initialing the blank line labeled “A,” marking the corresponding checkbox, then entering the Termination Date in the blank lines provided in this choice.
The Principal can set these Powers to automatically end if he or she is rendered disabled by initialing the blank line after the letter “B” and marking the checking box next to it.
If the Principal has determined the Powers delivered here should only terminate upon his or her death, then he or she should initial the blank line after the letter “C” and marking the corresponding box.
5 – Every Individual Parent Or Guardian Of The Child Must Sign This Document
Each Parent or Guardian of the Child/Minor granting Principal Guardian Powers can only do so by signature. Two separate “Parent/Court Appointed Guardian Signature” areas have been provided near the end of this document for this purpose. One Parent must sign his or her Name on the blank line labeled “Parent/Court Appointed Guardian Signature” then Print his or her Name and report the Signature Date. At least one Parent or Court Appointed Guardian must fulfill this area.
The intended Guardian/Attorney-in-Fact will need to attend to the “Acceptance By Attorney-in-Fact” section. He or she must read the statement in this section then sign the “Attorney-in-Fact’s Signature” line. As soon as this task is completed, he or she must provide his or her Printed Name and Signature Date below the Signature line.
Then each Parent or Guardian of the Child must sign this document and such a Signature must be witnessed. To prove the Parent(s) Signature was witnessed, each Witness must Sign and Print his or her Name and supply the Date when he or she signed the Witness Statement. Two such statements have been provided, “Affirmation By Witness 1” and “Affirmation By Witness 2,” so that each of these entities will have his or her own area to work with.
Once all these signatures have been completed, surrender this document to the attending Notary Public so that he or she may satisfy the “Notary Acknowledgment” section.