E-signing documents
E-signing in Adminished lets parents sign consent forms and waivers digitally — no printing, no chasing paper. Available on Pro plan.
What an e-signature records
When a parent signs, Adminished records:
- Their typed name (used as the signature).
- The exact timestamp (UTC).
- Their IP address at the time of signing.
- A hash of the document version they agreed to — so you can prove the wording hasn't changed since.
Is it legally valid?
Yes, for the kinds of documents sports clubs and activity providers routinely use. E-signatures created this way are recognised under the Electronic Communications Act 2000 and are consistent with eIDAS (which the UK retained post-Brexit as UK eIDAS). They are legally equivalent to a handwritten signature for contracts, consent forms, waivers, and codes of conduct.
E-signing is not suitable for formal deeds (property transfers, wills, lasting powers of attorney) or any document that requires a witness signature by law. If you are unsure whether your document is a deed, take legal advice.
How a parent signs
- The parent logs in to their portal. If an unsigned form is waiting, a prompt appears on the dashboard before they can proceed.
- They read the document and type their full name in the confirmation field.
- They click Sign and confirm. The signature is recorded instantly.
Parents cannot dismiss the prompt without signing — they are redirected back to it until all required forms for their children are complete.
Viewing the audit trail
- Go to Students and open the student's record.
- Click the Forms tab, then Signatures next to the form you want to check.
- You'll see the signer's name, timestamp, IP address, and document version hash.
Downloading a signed copy
On the Signatures page, click Download signed copy. This generates a PDF that includes the document body and the signature block (name, date, IP, hash). Keep a copy for your records — Adminished retains the data, but having your own copy is good practice, particularly for DBS-related safeguarding paperwork.
Re-signing after a version change
If you update a form and increment its version number, the old signature is preserved as a historical record. The parent is prompted to sign the new version at their next login. You can view both the old and new signatures in the audit trail.