Every person must have a medical release form on file with CIY to attend an event.

The group leader will receive an EMRF link for their group in January of 2025. If you register after January 2025, you will receive this link in your registration confirmation email. This is a long link, and you will need to make sure you send the entire link to the members of your group. If you accidentally send only part of the link, you will lose some of the necessary autofill content within the form. For detailed information and FAQs about this system, please view our eMRF Full Explanation.

To insure each attendee completes their forms, group leaders should follow the steps below:

1. Send the URL to adult leaders and parents/guardians of students attending the event along with instructions for them to follow the link to complete the release form. *See suggested delivery methods below.
2. Track who in your group has completed their release forms using the Group Leader link that will also be sent in January 2025. Bookmarking this link will make it easier to reference and check progress leading up to your event. The link will be resent to the Group Leader 7 days prior to the event.
3. Arrive to the event with access to your groups completed forms. Create a digital file on your phone or laptop or print forms and bring them in a binder. you won't be required to turn them in, but you should have access to them in case of emergency.

PLEASE NOTE: Links from previous years are INVALID. You MUST use a new link every year.

DELIVERY METHODS

There are several ways to point parents and sponsors to the online form. You can use any combination of ways that is easiest for you. As long as they are following the link we send you, it will point them to the right place.

1. Email – Copy the link and send it to parents and adult leaders.
2. Text – Copy the link and paste it into a text that you send to parents and adult leaders.
3. Social Media – While probably best not to post publicly, direct messaging or group messaging to parents and adult leaders is an option.
4. Church blog or website – Copy the link and include it in a blog post or on your youth group’s web page.
5. Parent Meeting – Set up several computers before/after a parent meeting and let parents fill out the form while they are there.
6. Print The Link – Use Bitly.com to shorten the link, and print it on event information that you are giving to parents or sending home with students.

FAQS

Can I use last year's medical release form link?

No. Any forms received using a link from a previous year or the previous event will NOT be accepted.

What if I have students to add to my group at the last minute?

This system functions in real-time, their parent/guardian can fill out the form while you are on your way to the event. The completed form will show up as soon as it has been submitted.

What if one student cancels and another comes in their place?

The system won’t restrict the number of releases that are submitted, so the parents of the additional student can fill out the form. Let us know who canceled and we can delete the information for that person.

What if I arrive and discover one or more of my forms hasn’t been turned in?

We’ll resend the link to you so that you can send it out to the parent/guardian that needs to fill it out.

How do I know who has/has not submitted their form? Here are three ways to figure it out:

1. Use the update link that was in your registration confirmation and we will send it to you about 7 days prior to the event, compare the list there to your list of people attending.
2. Compare the list of emails with MRFs attached that you’ve received to your list of attendees (if you put them all in one folder they will alphabetize by name).
3. Call or email us. We will be happy to pull your list and send it to you or tell you if a particular name is/is not on it.

For additional questions, please contact our SERVE Team at (417) 781-2273 or serve@ciy.com.

In an effort to create the safest environment possible for participants, CIY has adopted a new Adult Leader Screening process for all events. That process requires the following:

1. Each adult attending a CIY event must complete the online Medical Release form along with the items included on the form explaining the requirements for attending a CIY event as an adult leader.
2. Each adult must successfully complete a background check in the past 12 months. CIY requires at minimum a National Criminal and Sex Offender background check. Some states or venues may require other, additional checks.
3. Each adult must successfully complete an approved Abuse Awareness Training Module in the past 24 months. Approved providers are MinistrySafe.org and TrainRight.org. Churches using other providers for similar training must request approval from CIY in order for training by that provider to satisfy this requirement. We have created a new coupon code for Ministry Safe which will provide 50% off the annual subscription. The coupon code churches will apply when registering is "CIY2024”.

The Primary Leader for each group attending a CIY event must complete a SuperStart Adult Leader Screening Verification Form verifying that all of the adults attending with their group have completed the requirements listed above. This form will be sent electronically 24 hours before the event with your Count Form.

For more information about background checks, download our Adult Leader Screening FAQ Sheet.