One chaperone’s shift is ending, the next person has arrived and the child is due in costume shortly. It can look like a simple staff change. In practice, this is the moment when two adults need the same answer: who has care of the child now?
This guide is for approved chaperones and production colleagues working under an individual child performance or activity licence in England. It does not cover every exemption or supervision route. The child’s licence, local authority instructions and the production’s safeguarding procedure take priority.
A changeover is a transfer of care
Regulation 15 of the Children (Performances and Activities) (England) Regulations 2014 says an approved chaperone has care and control of the child. The role is also to safeguard, support and promote the child’s wellbeing during the licensed work and any related stay away from home.
When chaperones change, that care cannot sit vaguely between them. The outgoing chaperone needs to know when their responsibility ends. The incoming chaperone needs to know when it begins and what is happening for the child at that point.
The Regulations do not provide a national chaperone-to-chaperone handover script. A direct changeover is a practical control drawn from the need for continuous care. A local authority or an individual licence may add its own conditions or process.
Supervision does not pause for the briefing
The Department for Education’s published departmental advice for England says a child in the licensed work covered by its chaperone section must be supervised at all times, unless the child is under one of the forms of direct supervision described there.
The document is official advice, not statutory guidance. It says it has no statutory force and does not replace the Acts or Regulations. It still gives productions a useful point to plan around: supervision continues while the adults speak.
The child should not be sent away alone so that the chaperones can talk privately. If sensitive information needs to be passed on, arrange the changeover so another approved arrangement keeps supervision continuous while that conversation happens.
Check the incoming arrangement before the day
The production should not wait until the outgoing chaperone is ready to leave before checking the incoming person. Confirm through the approved route that the incoming chaperone is approved as required for this child and booking, and that the planned change matches the licence and the relevant council’s instructions.
A familiar crew member is not automatically a substitute for an approved chaperone. Direct supervision by a parent or the teacher who would ordinarily provide the child’s education is dealt with separately in regulation 15. If the proposed cover relies on a different route, the production should check it rather than treating the person as an informal stand-in.
Local wording can also be more specific. Surrey County Council’s current guidance, for example, says children must remain in the chaperone’s sight even while performing. That is Surrey’s operational guidance, not an England-wide statutory sentence. Check the authority relevant to the booking.
Choose a sensible moment and place
A changeover is easier when it happens before a move, call or department handoff. If possible, avoid doing it while the child is walking to set, changing costume, starting a lesson or dealing with a welfare concern. Those moments already need attention.
Pick a place where the adults can see the child and speak without sharing private details across a busy room. Tell the named production contact that the change has happened. The child should also know which adult is now responsible for them, using plain words suited to their age.
For example: “Sam is taking over as your chaperone now. I have told Sam what is happening next, and they will stay with you for the rest of this part of the day.” There is no need to discuss private information in front of other children or crew.
Pass on the day as it really is
A useful handover covers current facts, not only the original call sheet. The two chaperones can check:
- where the child is and what they are doing now;
- what has already happened, including actual calls, rest, meals and education where relevant;
- the next expected movement, activity or collection plan;
- any relevant licence condition, local instruction or production arrangement;
- any wellbeing matter that the incoming chaperone needs to act on, shared through the agreed private route; and
- the named production, safeguarding and emergency contacts.
This is a practical briefing list, not a list prescribed by the Regulations. Leave out gossip and details that the incoming chaperone does not need. If a welfare or safeguarding concern is open, follow the production’s reporting procedure rather than relying on the handover alone.
Mark the point where care changes
A short verbal confirmation can remove doubt. The outgoing chaperone might say: “You have care of Alex from now. The production contact knows, and the next call is at the agreed location.” The incoming chaperone can confirm that they have understood and accepted the transfer.
A brief time-stamped note in the production’s approved system can also help. The national Regulations do not name a chaperone changeover time as a standalone record. Schedule 3 lists records that the licence holder must keep, including daily arrival and departure and specified activity, rest, meal, education, illness and injury information. The licence holder retains that legal record-keeping responsibility.
Record a chaperone change only where it fits the approved production and local process. Keep personal information secure and do not create a separate informal log that nobody is responsible for protecting.
Do not leave before the change is settled
If the incoming person is late, their approval cannot be confirmed, or the licence and the plan do not match, the outgoing chaperone should not simply walk away at the planned time. Keep the child supervised and contact the licence holder or named production lead. The relevant local authority may need to clarify the arrangement.
Productions can prevent this problem by covering chaperone changes in the production briefing. Our guide to child performance records in England also explains the difference between facts a chaperone may provide and the licence holder’s statutory duty. A planned changeover takes a few minutes and leaves no one guessing who is responsible for the child.