A child performance licence can shape the whole working day, yet chaperones are not usually the people who apply for one. Their job is to understand the arrangements that affect the child in their care and to know when something needs checking.
This guide is a practical starting point for chaperones and tutors working in England. It is not legal advice, and it does not replace the conditions on an individual licence or guidance from the relevant local authority.
When might a child need a performance licence?
GOV.UK says that a child under school leaving age may need a licence when taking part in certain events. These can include performances, paid sport and modelling work, depending on the circumstances.
The person in charge of the event applies to the child’s local council. GOV.UK advises making the application at least 21 days before the event and asking the council if there is any doubt about whether a licence is needed.
That distinction matters for chaperones. You may be asked whether a child is licensed, but you are not expected to make the organiser’s application for them. You do need enough information to understand the basis on which the child is taking part and any conditions that affect your care of them.
A performance licence and a chaperone approval are different
The terms can sound similar, especially to somebody organising child performance work for the first time.
A child performance licence relates to the child’s participation in a particular performance or activity. Chaperone approval relates to the adult approved by a local authority to care for children in this setting.
Under regulation 15 of the Children (Performances and Activities) (England) Regulations 2014, an approved chaperone is there to have care and control of the child and to safeguard, support and promote the child’s wellbeing while the child is taking part in the activity, performance or rehearsal. The regulation also covers relevant periods when the child is living away from their usual home.
GOV.UK explains that, where a child is not with their parent, school teacher or home tutor, they must be supervised by a chaperone approved by the council.
What should a chaperone confirm before the day?
The production should give you enough information to carry out your role properly. A useful pre-production check might cover:
- the child’s name and the local authority dealing with the arrangements;
- whether the child is performing under an individual licence or another confirmed arrangement;
- the dates and locations covered;
- the name of the licence holder or responsible production contact;
- the supervision plan and the children allocated to you;
- the expected call, rehearsal, performance and collection times;
- any education, travel or accommodation arrangements that affect the day;
- the process for raising a welfare concern or reporting an incident; and
- the specific licence conditions you need to follow.
This is not about collecting paperwork for its own sake. It is about avoiding a situation in which the chaperone discovers an important condition only after the schedule has changed or the child has arrived.
Read the actual conditions
Previous experience is useful, but it is not a substitute for the arrangements in front of you. Two jobs that look similar on a call sheet may involve different councils, locations, licence conditions or education plans.
Ask for the information relevant to your role and read it before the child is handed into your care. If something is unclear, raise it with the licence holder or production contact. Where the legal position itself is uncertain, the appropriate local authority is the right source of guidance.
A colleague’s recollection of another production can be helpful background, but it should not become the basis for a decision about the current child.
What if the schedule changes?
Productions change. A scene moves, a rehearsal runs late or a location becomes unavailable. The first question is not simply whether the new plan is convenient. It is whether the change still fits the child’s licence conditions and welfare arrangements.
Before agreeing that a child can follow a changed schedule, check the information available to you and speak to the responsible production contact. Consider what the change means for supervision, education, breaks, travel, meals and collection. If the revised plan creates uncertainty, pause and get a clear answer rather than relying on an informal assumption.
Keep the conversation factual. Explain which part of the arrangement needs checking and why. A calm question raised early is easier to resolve than a disagreement after the child has already been moved.
Supervision must remain clear
There should be no point at which everyone assumes somebody else has responsibility for the child.
Confirm the handover when the child arrives, remain clear about any movement between tutoring, costume, holding areas, rehearsal and performance, and complete the agreed release process at collection. If responsibility transfers, both adults should understand that the transfer has happened.
The same principle applies when several departments are busy. A request from a member of the production team does not remove the chaperone’s responsibility to understand where the child is going and what they are being asked to do.
If something does not look right
Start with the licence holder or named production contact unless the situation requires a different safeguarding or emergency response. Describe the concern clearly and refer to the relevant condition or welfare issue where possible.
Do not share identifying details of a child in public groups or informal community spaces. Follow the production’s safeguarding and reporting procedures, and use the appropriate reporting route immediately where there is a safeguarding concern.
Clear information supports a calmer day
A licence is not a box to tick and forget. For the chaperone, it is part of the framework around the child’s performance and care.
Chaperone Collective provides peer support and signposting for licensed child performance chaperones and tutors. It does not replace local authority guidance, employer policies, safeguarding procedures, education requirements or legal advice. If you want to connect with others who understand the practical realities of the role, you can read more about why people join Chaperone Collective or register here.