A child performance licence is more than a document for the production office. It sets the framework around a young performer’s participation, education and welfare. For a chaperone, understanding that framework helps turn a busy call sheet into a day that is properly planned around the child.
This guide applies to Scotland. It is a practical starting point, not legal advice, and it does not replace the conditions on an individual licence or guidance from the relevant education authority.
When might a licence be needed in Scotland?
Scottish Government guidance explains that the licensing system covers children under school leaving age who take part in certain performances, paid sporting activities or modelling work. Examples include performances where a charge is made, performances in licensed premises, live broadcasts and performances recorded for broadcast or public exhibition.
There are exemptions, but they should not be assumed. The Scottish Government guide makes clear that an amateur group, musical performance or student production is not automatically outside the licensing requirements. Whether payment is involved, the type of performance and the child’s recent performance history can all matter.
If the position is uncertain, the organiser should check with the child’s local education authority before confirming the booking. A previous production’s decision is not proof that the same arrangement applies this time.
Who makes the application?
Under the Children (Performances and Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2014, the written application is made by the person responsible for the production, or by the person responsible for organising the activity or engaging the child in it.
The application goes to the licensing authority. For a child resident in Scotland, this will normally be the education authority for the area where the child lives. The regulations say the authority may refuse to grant a licence if it receives the application fewer than 21 days before the first performance or activity.
That does not make the chaperone responsible for applying. It does mean a chaperone should know who the applicant and eventual licence holder are, which authority is dealing with the application and whether the final licence has been granted before the work begins.
What does the licence establish?
The licence identifies the performance or activity, the place and the permitted dates or period. It may also contain conditions that shape the child’s working arrangements.
The licensing authority must be satisfied that the child’s education will not suffer. Where education is required during the licensed period, the authority approves the arrangements and the place where it will be provided. The licence holder is then responsible for ensuring those approved arrangements are carried out.
For a chaperone or tutor, the practical lesson is simple: do not plan from a generic template alone. Read the information that applies to the child and the job in front of you.
The chaperone’s role in the Scottish regulations
Regulation 14 says the licensing authority must approve a chaperone to have care and control of the child and to safeguard, support and promote the child’s wellbeing. This applies during the period from the first to the last licensed performance or activity, except while the child is in the care and control of a parent or teacher.
The regulation sets a maximum of 10 children in a chaperone’s care at one time. Where the approved chaperone is also the child’s private teacher, the maximum is three.
Those figures are legal ceilings, not automatic staffing recommendations. A sensible allocation must still reflect the children’s ages and needs, the setting, travel, changing arrangements, the layout of the venue and any conditions imposed by the authority. Being technically below the maximum does not by itself make an arrangement workable.
What should a chaperone confirm before accepting responsibility?
A useful pre-production conversation should establish:
- the name of the licence holder and the responsible production contact;
- the child’s licensing authority and any host authority involved;
- whether the licence has been granted, rather than merely applied for;
- the dates, places and activity covered by the licence;
- any conditions relevant to supervision, education, travel or accommodation;
- which children will be allocated to each chaperone;
- when responsibility passes from the parent, teacher or another chaperone;
- the planned call, rehearsal, performance, tutoring and collection times; and
- the reporting route for illness, injury or a welfare concern.
Ask for enough information to carry out the role, but handle it carefully. Personal details about children should not be copied into informal messages or discussed in public community spaces.
What if the plan changes?
Productions move quickly, but a changed call time, venue or performance plan may affect the licence and the arrangements approved with it.
Before agreeing that a child can follow a revised plan, check the licence conditions and speak to the licence holder. Consider supervision, education, breaks, meals, transport and the handover at the end of the day. If the change falls outside the information available, the licence holder should seek guidance from the licensing or host authority.
The Scottish regulations give chaperones some tightly defined discretion in particular circumstances, but that is not a general power to rewrite the schedule. Any exception must be read in its full legal context and recorded or reported where required.
Keep responsibility visible
There should be no gap in which everyone assumes somebody else is caring for the child. Confirm arrival, movements between departments or tutoring, and the final release at collection.
Where responsibility transfers, both adults should understand that the handover has happened. A note on a call sheet is useful, but it does not replace a clear human exchange.
If something does not look right
Raise the issue with the licence holder or named production contact, unless the situation calls for a different safeguarding or emergency response. Explain the practical concern and refer to the relevant licence condition where possible.
Scottish regulations also provide for immediate notification where a child suffers an injury or illness while in a chaperone’s care. The licence holder has the notification duty, so the chaperone must make sure the right person is told without delay.
Clear checks support confident care
Licensing is handled by the organiser and the authority, but the finished licence becomes part of the chaperone’s working environment. Reading it, understanding the handovers and asking calm questions early all help keep attention where it belongs: on the child’s wellbeing.
Chaperone Collective offers peer support and signposting for licensed child performance chaperones and tutors. It does not replace education-authority guidance, employer policies, safeguarding procedures, licence conditions or legal advice. You can read more about why people join Chaperone Collective or register here.