Adminished

E-signing documents

The E-signing page showing documents sent to parents for digital signature

E-signing in Adminished lets parents sign consent forms and waivers digitally — no printing, no chasing paper. Available on every plan, including Free.

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

  1. The parent logs in to their portal. If an unsigned form is waiting, a prompt appears on the dashboard before they can proceed.
  2. They read the document and type their full name in the confirmation field.
  3. 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

  1. Go to Students and open the student's record.
  2. Click the Forms tab, then Signatures next to the form you want to check.
  3. 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.

Related articles

  • Custom forms & waivers

    How to create custom consent forms (photo, medical, marketing) beyond the standard waiver, enforce them per class, and bump the version to trigger re-signing.

  • DBS & safeguarding

    How to record DBS check dates and safeguarding training per team member, get 60/30/7-day expiry alerts, and export the team's compliance state for auditors.

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