Child performance licensing in Northern Ireland has its own legal framework and terminology. It should not be approached by copying an England, Scotland or Wales checklist and changing the address at the top.
This guide is a practical starting point for chaperones and production teams working in Northern Ireland. It is not legal advice and does not replace the current requirements of the Education Authority, the conditions of an individual licence or the production’s safeguarding procedures.
Which performances may require a licence?
Article 137 of the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 covers several kinds of public performance. These include performances connected with a charge, performances in licensed premises, broadcasts and performances recorded for broadcast, a programme service or a film intended for public exhibition.
The Order also provides exemptions in particular circumstances, including a limited number of performance days and certain school or approved-body arrangements. The conditions matter, including whether payment is made other than to cover expenses.
Do not assume that a production is exempt because it is amateur, educational or short. The organiser should check the specific facts with the Education Authority before the booking is treated as confirmed.
Who grants the licence?
The current revised version of Article 138 identifies the Education Authority as the body that may grant a child performance licence in Northern Ireland.
The Children (Public Performances) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 say the written application is made by the person responsible for the production. It must use the required form, be signed by the applicant and a parent, and include the specified documents.
The regulations say the licensing authority may refuse to grant a licence if it receives the application fewer than 30 days before the first performance. The Education Authority’s current 2025 form takes a practical step further and asks for the complete application at least 30 days before the first rehearsal or performance. That is a different lead time from the one used in the other UK nations, and it is a good example of why a UK-wide template can cause problems.
A chaperone is not normally the applicant. They should still know who is responsible for the production, whether the licence has actually been granted and which conditions affect the child in their care.
The authority considers welfare and education
Article 138 says the authority must be satisfied that the child is fit to take part, that proper provision has been made for the child’s health and kind treatment, and that the child’s education will not suffer.
The 1996 regulations add detailed conditions concerning education and the licensed performance. Because the regulations are displayed on legislation.gov.uk in their original format, productions should use the Education Authority’s current application material rather than relying on an old downloaded template.
For chaperones and tutors, the practical point is to work from the granted licence and the current arrangements supplied for that child, not from what happened on a previous job.
A note about the word “matron”
The 1996 regulations use the statutory term “matron” for the adult approved by the licensing authority to supervise the child. The wording is dated, and many people working in the sector will be more familiar with “chaperone”. The Education Authority’s current application material uses “matron/chaperone”, which helps connect the statutory wording with present-day practice.
When referring to the legal provision, it is useful to acknowledge the term it actually uses. In day-to-day communication, follow the terminology used by the Education Authority and the production, while keeping the approved role and responsibilities clear.
The important point is not the label. It is that the supervising adult must be approved and able to exercise proper care and control without other duties getting in the way.
What does the approved role involve?
Regulation 14 says the approved adult is in charge of the child from the first to the last performance covered by the licence, except while the child is in the charge of a parent or teacher.
The regulation describes responsibility for the child’s care and control, with a view to securing their health, comfort, kind treatment and moral welfare. It also says the authority should not approve somebody whose other activities or responsibilities towards children would prevent them from carrying out the role properly.
The regulation sets the maximum at the child plus no more than 11 other children: 12 children in total. If the approved adult is also the child’s private teacher, the limit is the child plus no more than two others: three in total.
Those are statutory maxima, not recommended group sizes for every setting. Age, individual needs, dressing arrangements, travel, venue layout and split calls may require more support.
What should be confirmed before the day?
A chaperone’s pre-production check should cover:
- the licence holder or person responsible for the production;
- confirmation that the licence has been granted;
- the performances, dates and places it covers;
- the conditions relevant to the child’s schedule, education and supervision;
- the children allocated to each approved adult;
- the call, rehearsal, performance, education and collection plan;
- arrangements for travel or accommodation, where relevant;
- the point at which responsibility transfers from and back to the parent or teacher; and
- the reporting route for illness, injury, a welfare concern or an emergency.
Keep personal information within the proper production and safeguarding channels. Do not post identifying details about children in public groups or community discussions when asking for peer support.
Read the licence against the schedule
The call sheet is an operational plan; the licence is the authority for the child’s participation. The two need to agree.
If a rehearsal runs late, the venue changes or an extra performance is proposed, do not rely on a casual assurance that it will be fine. Tell the person responsible for the production and check the licence conditions. Where clarification is needed, the production should contact the Education Authority.
The 1996 regulations contain detailed rules and limited exceptions around performance arrangements. They need to be read in full rather than turned into a general permission to extend a working day.
Make handovers unmistakable
Responsibility should not become vague when several departments are busy. Confirm the child’s arrival into care, movements between performance and education, and release to the agreed adult.
If another approved adult takes over, both people should understand that the transfer has happened. This clear handover is a practical way of supporting the underlying care-and-control responsibility; it does not replace any local procedure or licence condition.
If a child becomes ill or is injured
Regulation 14 says that where a child suffers an injury or illness while in the charge of the approved adult or teacher, the licence holder must ensure that the parent and the relevant authority are notified immediately.
The chaperone therefore needs to tell the responsible person promptly and follow the production’s incident and safeguarding procedures. If the situation is urgent, put the child’s immediate safety and medical needs first.
Use Northern Ireland’s framework, not a borrowed one
The broad safeguarding purpose may feel familiar across the UK, but the authority, lead time, terminology and detailed conditions are not identical. Starting with the Northern Ireland provisions helps everyone ask the right questions before the child arrives.
Chaperone Collective provides peer support and signposting for child performance chaperones and tutors. It does not replace Education Authority requirements, employer policies, safeguarding procedures, licence conditions or legal advice. You can read more about why people join Chaperone Collective or register here.
Official sources
- The Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995, Article 137
- The Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995, Article 138
- Children (Public Performances) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996
- Regulation 3: Application for a licence
- Regulation 14: Matrons
- Education Authority: Performance Licence Application Form 2025
- Education Authority: Northern Ireland application for chaperone licence