Chaperoning of children in entertainment

A parent may only chaperone their own child. No one else may look after your child if you are named on your child's licence as chaperone. A grandparent or other family member (unless they have parental responsibility or they have a chaperone licence) cannot undertake this role on your behalf.

A chaperone acts in "loco parentis" and should exercise the care which a good parent might be reasonably expected to give that child.

The maximum number of children a chaperone can look after at any one time is 12. However, in most cases this will be too many as age and gender need to be taken into account along with the limitations of the venue.

The duties and responsibilities of a chaperone

• A chaperones' first priority is always to the child
• A chaperone is the key person who the child looks to for guidance, protection, clarification and support
• A chaperone's duty is to look after the child therefore they cannot be involved in other activities such as dresser, make up or actor
• A chaperone must be strong enough to negotiate on behalf of the child. For example, if a producer wants a child to remain at the place of performance beyond the permitted hours or to perform outside of that stated on the licence the chaperone must be confident enough to say no
• A chaperone must have a working knowledge of the performance regulations to carry out their duties confidently and effectively
• Production companies are required by law to keep certain records relating to the performance e.g. arrival and departure times, rest times etc. This duty often falls to the chaperone
• A chaperone must ensure that all children are handed over to their parent/carer at the end of the performance. No child must ever be allowed to go home alone

A child's performance licence will tell you what the child is allowed to do, you should ask the producer for a copy of the child's licence and familiarise yourself with the terms of the licence.

If a child is unwell, they cannot perform, as a chaperone you have the right to stop them from performing until you are satisfied they are well enough to continue. Chaperones should contact the parent or named contact on the emergency contact register and ask them to collect the child if they are unwell.

If you have suspicions that a child is being neglected or abused or if a child makes a disclosure of that nature you must immediately inform the designated person for child protection or contact Bury Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) Team.

There are two types of chaperone licences you can apply for:

• Professional - this enables you to chaperone in a paid capacity
• Volunteer - this enables you to chaperone as a volunteer without payment

Apply or renew a chaperone licence

If you need to apply for a DBS Check, we will process this for you through Bolton Council. An appointment will be made for you with the Bury Child Licensing Officer who will complete the DBS form with you and verify your documents and send the form for processing. Bolton will send you a link for you to complete and will invoice you £12 for a volunteer application and £63.20 for a professional one.

The team will contact the two references listed on your application form and complete the safeguarding checks.

An appointment will made for you with the Child Licensing Officer to apply for your DBS if you are not on the update service.

You will then be invited to attend one of our mandatory chaperone training sessions. Please note, your chaperone licence will not be issued until you have attended and passed your mandatory training.

Once all checks are complete and your DBS outcome has been received, your chaperones licence and ID card will be issued by email / post after you have completed your chaperone training.

Please allow 6 to 8 weeks for your licence to be processed.