California Caregiver Affidavit in Spanish: Where to Get the Official Translation

The Official Spanish Translation Exists — But It's for Reference

If you're a Spanish-speaking grandparent or relative raising a child in California, the California Courts Self-Help Center publishes the official Caregiver's Authorization Affidavit and a Spanish translation. The Spanish version is marked "for information only" and tells caregivers to fill out the English form.

Use the English affidavit to execute and submit the form. The Spanish translation can help you understand its contents, but it is not a completed affidavit to submit in place of the English form.

Where to Download the Spanish-Language Form

The California Courts Self-Help Center publishes the Spanish translation and the English affidavit to complete. County law libraries and local legal aid offices — particularly in Los Angeles, the Central Valley, and the Inland Empire — may also have printed copies available.

The January 2026 revision applies to the English form and Spanish translation. Complete the current English form with its updated statutory warnings and all eight items. Older versions circulating on third-party websites may be missing the mandatory perjury notice or the expanded relative-definition language from Assembly Bill 495.

Filling Out the Affidavit in Spanish

The Spanish translation follows the English form's structure. Items 1 through 4 cover school enrollment and school-related medical care for any adult caregiver. Items 5 through 8 give qualified relatives — grandparents, aunts, uncles, adult siblings, and relatives within the fifth degree — the same rights to authorize medical and dental care as a probate guardian under Probate Code Section 2353.

Complete and sign the English form under penalty of perjury. The caregiver must be at least 18 and the child must live in the caregiver's home; no court order, notarization, or parent signature is required.

One practical tip: if the school registrar seems unfamiliar with the Spanish translation, bring it alongside the completed English form. The translation follows the same sections. Point to the notice on page two, which states that no notary seal, court filing, or judge's signature is needed.

What If the School or Clinic Refuses the Spanish Form?

For enrollment, present the completed English affidavit; the official Spanish translation is for reference. California Education Code Section 48204(a)(5) recognizes a completed Caregiver's Authorization Affidavit as a basis for school residency. If a registrar pushes back, ask to speak with the enrollment supervisor or the district's Director of Student Services.

Healthcare providers are similarly covered by the good-faith reliance protection in Family Code Section 6550(c) when they accept a properly completed affidavit. Use the English form for the affidavit and the Spanish translation as a reference copy.

If you encounter persistent resistance, contact your county to ask whether a Kinship Support Services Program (KSSP) is available and whether its local provider offers Spanish-language assistance.

Getting Help in Spanish

These organizations offer kinship or legal support; contact them to confirm whether their current intake is available in Spanish and whether they serve your county:

• Alliance for Children's Rights provides legal representation, foster-care transition, health care access, and guardianship support for kin caregivers
• Public Counsel offers kinship legal representation, guardianship workshops, and advocacy for relative caregivers in Southern California
• Legal Services of Northern California provides free civil legal assistance across 23 Northern California counties
• Bay Area Legal Aid serves the San Francisco Bay Area

These organizations can help with more complex situations — when a parent objects, when you're unsure whether to file for guardianship, or when a school district continues to refuse enrollment despite the affidavit.

Our complete California school and medical consent guide walks through every item of the affidavit with plain-language instructions, escalation letter templates for schools and clinics, and a directory of county-by-county legal aid resources. It's designed for caregivers who need clear, immediate answers — whether they're working in English or Spanish.

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