A child may say they feel unwell just before a call, halfway through a rehearsal or after a long spell of waiting. The first response does not need to be dramatic. It needs to give the child your attention and keep the schedule from deciding what happens next.
This guide is for approved chaperones supporting a child under an individual performance licence in England. It offers practical steps, not medical advice or a substitute for the child’s licence, local authority instructions and the production’s own safeguarding and emergency procedures.
Start with the child, not the call
Pause the immediate task and listen. Tell the appropriate production contact that the child is not available for the next call while their welfare is checked. A child who feels sick, faint, sore or unusually tired should not have to make their case against a busy schedule.
Use simple, open questions. Ask the child to tell you how they feel and when it started. Notice what you can see without trying to diagnose the cause. A younger child may describe a feeling in an unexpected way, while an older child may play it down because they do not want to hold up the work.
Keep supervision clear. Do not send the child off alone to find water, a toilet, a parent or the person identified in the production’s first aid arrangements. If you need another person to take over, use the production’s agreed handover process so everybody knows who has care of the child.
Use the production’s first aid route
A chaperone should know how to contact the person identified in the production’s first aid arrangements and what the venue expects in an urgent situation. If that information has not been provided, ask for it before children begin work rather than waiting until somebody feels ill.
The Health and Safety Executive’s first aid guidance explains the workplace arrangements employers need for employees, including appointed people and information about first aid. It is general workplace guidance. It does not make the chaperone responsible for those arrangements, and it does not mean every child performer has the same employment status.
On the day, follow the production’s first aid and emergency procedure. Contact the person identified in the production’s first aid arrangements, or take the child to the agreed place while keeping supervision clear. If urgent help is needed, use the venue’s emergency route and the emergency services as appropriate. Follow any agreed medical or care plan through the authorised process rather than improvising treatment.
Know where the legal notification duty sits
Regulation 15 of the Children (Performances and Activities) (England) Regulations 2014 describes the approved chaperone’s function as having care and control of the child and safeguarding, supporting and promoting their wellbeing during the licensed work.
The same regulation deals directly with injury or illness. If a child suffers an injury or illness while under the chaperone’s care, the licence holder must ensure that the parent named in the application and the licensing and host authorities are notified immediately.
That statutory duty belongs to the licence holder, not automatically to the chaperone. The practical response is to pass clear information promptly through the production’s agreed route so the licence holder can make the required notifications. Check the individual licence and council instructions because they may set out named contacts or an additional procedure.
Surrey County Council’s chaperone guidance gives a current local example. It includes taking action if a child is ill, tired or upset among a chaperone’s main responsibilities. This is useful operational guidance from one authority, not a separate statutory script for every council in England.
Give facts rather than a diagnosis
When you speak to the production’s first aid contact, licence holder or parent, separate what the child said from what you observed. Useful details can include the time the concern began, the child’s own words, visible signs, what happened immediately beforehand and the steps already taken.
Avoid guessing at a cause or using a diagnostic label unless a qualified person has provided it. Keep the conversation private and use the production’s approved reporting channel. A busy radio channel or large group chat is rarely the right place for a child’s health information.
If the production asks you to provide information for its records, write down what happened rather than what was expected to happen. The separate guide to child performance records in England explains how a chaperone can support accurate records without taking over the licence holder’s statutory duty.
Do not let a quick improvement settle the question
A drink, some quiet time or a visit to the toilet may help, but feeling better for a few minutes does not by itself decide that the child should return to work. Check how the child feels, follow the production’s first aid arrangements and any advice from an appropriately qualified person, and consider the licence conditions and the rest of the planned day.
If the child will leave, arrange a clear handover to the parent or other authorised adult. Pass on a short factual account of what the child reported, what was observed, who was contacted and what action was taken. Follow the production’s process for collection and for any further notification.
Prepare before children arrive
Before the working day, confirm the first aid contact, emergency route, licence holder or delegated contact, and the place where a child can be cared for away from the immediate production pressure. This is a practical control rather than an extra legal checklist.
The Department for Education’s child performance and activities advice is an England-only explanation of the licensing framework. The document says it has no statutory force, so the legislation, individual licence and current local authority instructions remain the controlling sources.
Clear preparation makes it easier to respond without fuss. The child is listened to, the right people receive accurate information and the legal responsibility stays with the person who holds it.
Scope note: This article gives general information for England. Child performance rules differ in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is not legal, safeguarding or medical advice.