Vermont Minor Child Power of Attorney Form

Updated: Nov 8, 2026

What Is a Vermont Minor Child Power of Attorney?

A Vermont minor child power of attorney is a signed document that names an agent to care for a child while the parent or guardian is away or unable to. The person who signs it is the principal. The adult who receives the authority is the agent, also called the attorney-in-fact.

The form lets three kinds of principal sign it: a parent, a court-appointed guardian or a court-appointed conservator. Parents often name a relative or close friend who knows the child's routine, school and doctors.

Vermont's Uniform Power of Attorney Act, 14 V.S.A. chapter 127, sets the general rules for a power of attorney that this page cites. Those sections speak of a principal and an agent, and none of the cited sections names a minor child's care.

Vermont Minor Child Power of Attorney Form Details

How to Get a Power of Attorney for a Child in Vermont

A Vermont minor child power of attorney is made in seven steps: choose the agent and a backup, choose the powers, set the dates, fill out the form, sign it before a notary public and share copies.

1. Choose an agent: an adult you trust who can reach the child quickly.
2. Choose a successor agent to step in if the first agent is unable or unwilling to act.
3. Decide the powers: the full list in item 1 of the form, or a limited list in item 2.
4. Pick the start date and the end date.
5. Fill out the form with full names and current addresses for the parent, the child and both agents.
6. Sign the form and acknowledge the signature before a notary public, who completes the acknowledgment on page 3.
7. Give copies to the agent, the school and the child's doctor.

What Powers Does the Agent Get?

The Vermont minor child power of attorney gives the agent either the full list of powers in item 1 or a limited list in item 2, so the parent decides how far the agent's authority reaches.

Item 1 of the form lists these powers over the child, in the form's own words:

• consent to medical treatment;
• decisions about schooling and school activities;
• support, care, housing and nourishment;
• acts that protect the child's best interests.

This list is the form's wording, not a statement of Vermont law. The chapter 127 sections this page cites do not name a parent's delegation of a child's medical care or schooling, so the page cites no statute for these powers.

Limiting the Agent's Powers

Item 2 of the form replaces the full list with powers the parent writes on the lines provided. A limited list suits a short stay, such as a school trip or a summer with grandparents, where the agent needs only medical consent. The parent picks item 1 or item 2, never both.

Filling Out the Vermont Minor Child POA Form

The Vermont minor child POA form has seven parts, from the parent's details to the notary's seal. Have the names and addresses of the parent, the child and the agent ready before you start.

The screenshots under each step show the Vermont Minor Child Power of Attorney template filled with sample entries in blue, so you can see where each answer goes. The names, addresses, dates and amounts are examples only.

1. Your details and the minor child. Enter your name and address, then initial the line that describes you: Parent, Court-Appointed Guardian, or Court-Appointed Conservator. Next, add the child's name, birth date, and address.

   

2. Second parent or guardian and the agent. Complete the additional statement only if there is a second parent or guardian. Then enter the agent's name and address. The agent is the person you appoint as attorney-in-fact for the child.

   

3. Authority and successor agent. Item 1 on the form lists the powers: consent to medical treatment, decisions about schooling and school activities, support, care, housing, and nourishment, and acts to protect the child's best interests. Use item 2 instead to write a limited list of powers on the lines provided. Add a successor agent's name and address if you want a backup.

   

4. Effective date. Enter the date the power of attorney starts and the date it ends.

   

5. Signatures and date. Enter the day, month, and year. Each parent or guardian signs and prints a name on the lines provided.

   

6. Acknowledgment, State of Vermont. Page 3 is the notary's acknowledgment. The notary completes the county, the date, their name and title, and the name of the person who appears.

   

7. Officer signature and seal. Leave the signature and seal line on page 3 blank. The notary fills it in.

   

How to Sign the Vermont Minor Child Power of Attorney

A power of attorney under 14 V.S.A. chapter 127 is signed by the principal or, if the principal directs it, by another individual in the principal's conscious presence, under 14 V.S.A. § 4005. The sections this page cites do not say whether a parent's delegation of a child's care is created under that chapter. The minor child form's page 3 holds a notary acknowledgment, so the signers plan the signing with a notary public.

1. Check the details. Read the whole form once and confirm that every name, address, and date is correct and matches the IDs.
2. Bring every signer. Each parent or guardian named on the form comes to the signing.
3. Acknowledge the signature before the notary. Sign and date the form, then acknowledge the signature before a notary public or another authorized officer; signing in front of the notary is the simplest way to do both at once.
4. Let the notary finish page 3. The notary completes the acknowledgment, signs it and adds the seal.
5. Keep copies. Make copies of the signed form and store the original somewhere safe.
6. Hand over a copy. Give the agent a copy, and share one with the child's school or doctor if the agent will deal with them.

Why Notarize the Signature?

A notarized signature carries a presumption: a signature on a power of attorney is presumed genuine if the principal acknowledges it before a notary public or another individual authorized to take acknowledgments (14 V.S.A. § 4005). That presumption helps when a school or a doctor's office asks whether the signature is real.

When the Power of Attorney Starts and Ends

A Vermont power of attorney is effective when executed unless the principal provides in it that it becomes effective at a future date or on a future event (14 V.S.A. § 4009). The form's start date line is where the parent sets a later start.

Under 14 V.S.A. § 4010, a power of attorney ends when any of these happens:

• the principal dies;
• the principal revokes it;
• the power of attorney provides that it terminates, as the end date on this form does;
• the purpose of the power of attorney is accomplished;
• the agent dies, becomes incapacitated or unavailable, or resigns, and the document provides for no other agent.

Does It Stay in Effect if the Parent Becomes Incapacitated?

A power of attorney created under 14 V.S.A. chapter 127 is durable unless it expressly provides that the principal's incapacity or unavailability ends it (14 V.S.A. § 4004). The sections this page cites do not say whether a parent's delegation of a child's care is created under that chapter. The start and end dates written on the form are the clearest guide to how long the agent acts.

Naming a Successor Agent

A successor agent is the backup the form names to act if the first agent cannot. Without one, a power of attorney ends when the agent dies, becomes incapacitated or unavailable, or resigns, and the document provides for no other agent (14 V.S.A. § 4010).

Name a successor who lives near the child and agrees to serve. Write the successor's full name and address in the space below the powers, and give the successor a copy too.

How to Revoke a Vermont Minor Child Power of Attorney

A power of attorney under 14 V.S.A. chapter 127 ends when the principal revokes it, and an agent's authority ends when the principal revokes that authority (14 V.S.A. § 4010). The sections this page cites do not say whether a parent's delegation of a child's care is created under that chapter. Under chapter 127, termination is not effective as to an agent or another person who acts in good faith without actual knowledge of it (14 V.S.A. § 4010).

Under chapter 127, a new power of attorney does not cancel the old one by itself: a later power of attorney revokes an earlier one only if it says so (14 V.S.A. § 4010).

1. Write a short statement that revokes the power of attorney, naming the parent, the child, the agent and the form's date.
2. Sign and date the statement.
3. Give the agent a copy and ask for the original form back.
4. Send a copy to the school, the doctor and anyone else who received the form.

Under chapter 127, the principal of a power of attorney may not revoke it if the principal has been determined to be incapacitated (14 V.S.A. § 4010).

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Most problems with a Vermont minor child power of attorney come from blank or mismatched entries that a school or a doctor's office questions later, so read the form once more before anyone signs.

• Leaving the end date blank, so the form gives no date on which it ends.
• Using a nickname instead of the full name on the signer's ID.
• Skipping the successor agent line, so the arrangement ends if the agent becomes unavailable.
• Leaving out the additional statement when there is a second parent or guardian.
• Arriving at the notary without an ID that matches the name on the form.
• Keeping the only signed copy where the agent cannot reach it.

Minor Child Power of Attorney vs. Guardianship and Other Documents

A minor child power of attorney is a parent's own delegation for a set period, while guardianship, an advance directive and a financial power of attorney serve other needs.

Guardianship of a Minor

Guardianship is a different arrangement: a court appoints the guardian, and the form itself lists a court-appointed guardian as one kind of principal.

Advance Directive

A Vermont advance directive covers the signer's own health care, and 18 V.S.A. § 9703 requires it to be dated and signed by two or more witnesses at least 18 years of age (18 V.S.A. § 9703). A minor child power of attorney covers the child's care, not the parent's own.

Financial Power of Attorney

Vermont's statutory form power of attorney in 14 V.S.A. § 4051 covers the principal's property and money, and its notice states that it does not authorize the agent to make health-care decisions. A parent who also needs someone to handle bank accounts or bills uses a separate financial power of attorney.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Vermont minor child power of attorney used for?

Parents use it to name a trusted adult, called the agent, to care for a child while they are away, ill, or serving in the military. The form lists the powers you give them, such as medical care and school decisions.

Who should I name as the agent?

Choose an adult you trust who knows the child well, such as a relative or close friend. You can also name a backup on the successor agent line.

Does the agent have to accept in writing?

An agent accepts the appointment by exercising authority or performing duties as an agent, or by other conduct indicating acceptance, except as otherwise provided in the power of attorney (14 V.S.A. § 4013). A parent who wants a written acceptance can ask the agent to sign a short note.

Does it end if the parent dies?

Yes, a power of attorney terminates when the principal dies (14 V.S.A. § 4010). The agent's authority over the child ends at that point.

What's the difference between a POA and a durable power of attorney?

A durable power of attorney keeps working if the principal becomes incapacitated, and a power of attorney created under 14 V.S.A. chapter 127 is durable unless it expressly provides that the principal's incapacity or unavailability ends it (14 V.S.A. § 4004).

How long does it take to fill out the form?

The form has 44 fillable fields and takes about 10 minutes to complete. Gather the names, addresses, and dates first so you can finish in one sitting.

Can I fill in the PDF on my computer?

Yes. The form is an Adobe PDF file, so you can fill it in with Adobe Acrobat or the PDF editor, or print it and write the answers by hand.

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General information, not legal or tax advice.

Mara Erlach

Writer & Attorney

Mara has been practicing estate planning and trust law in California since 2003, taking pride in helping clients of all backgrounds and asset profiles form a complete and customized estate plan. Her specialties are: estate planning, wills and trusts, trust and probate administration.