All children, of compulsory school age, taking part in a licenced performance must be supervised by their parent, guardian, or by a registered chaperone at all times.
Although the maximum number of children in the care of a chaperone at any one time may not exceed 12, in most cases this is not practical as factors of age, gender, venue facilities will need to be taken into account for adequate care and supervision to be provided.
There are 2 types of chaperone licence:
- voluntary sector licence - unpaid chaperoning work
- professional sector licence - paid chaperoning work
Expectations of the role of a chaperone:
- check the child is comfortable - you are the person to whom the child looks to guidance, protection, clarification and protect
- stand up for the child above production pressures - one of a chaperone's greatest strengths is their ability to negotiate with the production company 'on site' and be able to say no when what is being requested of the child is contrary or detrimental to the child's health, well-being and education
- be the child's champion
- report any concerns and know who to report them to and know what to do in each case - chaperones should keep a note of important contacts, for example, the child's licensing authority, the local authority in whose area the child is performing, the child's agent and the child's parent or legal guardian
- ask to see a copy of the licence
- exercise discretion (only when regulation allows) where that is in the best interests of the child
- be alert to all possible risks to the child
- challenge people and/or behaviours
Further chaperone information is available below:
Chaperones - NNCEE - National Network for Children in Employment and Entertainment
Apply for a Chaperone Licence
Please allow at least 12 weeks notice for your application to be processed.
When applying, the process will include verifying your identity with an online Teams meeting, a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check and Two References being taken up. A payment will be required as part of the process, the amount of this payment will be emailed to you.
As part of the application process, in most cases, there will be an expectation that you will have undertaken some chaperone training, including safeguarding such as:
Protecting children in entertainment training for chaperones - NSPCC Learning
Once approved, chaperones licences issued by Wirral are valid for 3 years.
Please note:
- incomplete applications will not be processed
- we do not carry out DBS Checks unless you are applying for a Chaperone Licence
To apply for a chaperone licence or for more information please contact childlicensing@wirral.gov.uk