Managing child photo/video consent

The Children module includes built-in fields for managing photo/video consent for children. If enabled, primary parents/carers can self-manage consent for their children in My ChurchSuite and on a child's My Consent form, and Children module Users can also manage photo/video consent on behalf of parents/carers per their wishes. The photo/video consent fields can also be disabled if not required or if you wish to create a custom field for more granular consent.

Managing photo/video consent in My ChurchSuite

For parents/carers to access the My Children section of My ChurchSuite you should first check the Children module's setting to ensure My ChurchSuite access is enabled on the My ChurchSuite Options tab - click Edit to make changes. If My ChurchSuite access is disabled here the My Children section will be inaccessible to parents/carers with wider My ChurchSuite access.

Continuing down the My ChurchSuite Options, in the Fields section check that the Photo/Video consent fields are set to be editable by parents/carers and children with My ChurchSuite access - click Edit to make changes.

Now, primary parents/carers with linked children and children with My ChurchSuite access can manage the Photo/Video consent field responses. Here's how...

From a primary parent's/carer's Home page, they'll navigate to the My Children section and for each child click View:

From here a primary parent/carer can update the child's Photo/Video Consent - ticking to affirm consent or leaving it unticked to deny consent.

Similarly, children with My ChurchSuite access can self-manage their own photo/video consent from the My Details section of My ChurchSuite.

And finally, identical functionality is available through a child's My Consent form - see the related support article for further information about the Ongoing Consent feature.

Managing photo/video consent in ChurchSuite

Users can manage a child's Photo/Video Consent from within ChurchSuite when adding or editing a child's profile in the Children module.

The child's photo/video consent settings show when viewing the Details tab of a child's profile...

The Children module's Reports section also includes a Photo/Video Consent report - the results distinguish between consent given (a green tick), consent denied (a grey cross) and consent unknown (a grey question mark). Consent 'unknown' means neither affirmatively granted nor denied.

The Smart Tag conditions (in the Children module's Tags section) for Internal presentation and External presentation Photo/Video Consent are ideal for identifying children whose parents/carers have not yet updated their children's consent (i.e. consent is Unknown).

Importantly, your children's group leaders can see the latest Photo/Video consent status for each child in their group when viewing their group in the Child Check-In system's Admin Area - consent granted, distinguished by a green tick, or consent denied/unknown, distinguished by a red cross.

Turning off the photo/video consent fields

ChurchSuite's 'in-built' fields for Internal Photo/Video Consent and External Photo/Video Consent are optional fields, which can be turned off if not required. This may be helpful where your organisation prefers to use custom fields that are tailored to your safeguarding processes; or because the nature of your organisation doesn't require you to maintain this information.

To turn off the consent fields, head into the Children module's settings via the cogwheels icon in the top-right corner of the module. On the Module Options tab, locate the two settings in the Fields section and disable (or enable) as required - click Edit to make changes.

Note that disabling one or both consent fields in the Module Options will: -

• remove the respective field(s) from child profile pages in the Children module
• remove the respective field(s) from being surfaced in the Photo/Video Consent report
• remove the respective children's smart tag condition(s)
• preserve the photo/video consent settings already held for each child*

*Note that previously-added child consent responses will resurface if the consent fields are later re-enabled

It will also: -

• disable the respective consent field(s) in the My ChurchSuite Options tab, and prevent them from being visible or editable by primary parents/carers in the My Children section of My ChurchSuite and on children's My Consent forms
• disable the respective consent field(s) in the Connect Options tab, and prevent them from being surfaced on the Add child section of the My Details form
• disable the respective consent field(s) in the Connect Options tab, and prevent them from being surfaced within the Child Check-In system's Admin area on the Details page during an active check-in session
• disable the respective consent field(s) in the Embed Options tab, and prevent them from being surfaced on the Add child section of the Address Book Embed form

If you subsequently decide to re-enable one or both consent fields in the Module Options, make sure you review the other tabs (My ChurchSuite Options, Connect Options and Embed Options) in the Children module's settings, to ensure that the respective fields are re-enabled there where desired.