Child Performance Laws

[andrewg112]

Hello!

This a bit off the topic of the normal backstage related Blue Room questions, but does anyone have any experience of Child Performance Laws and the Child Performance Licences, that I could PM Please? Got a few questions about filling in the forms ect!

 

Thanking You,

Andy

[paulears]

Andrew - Have a look here

 

It's a web site for the mums of performing kids. They have a very er, odd view of the world, but there's loads of info on license questions.

[andrewg112]

Thanks very much Paul,

Exactly what I was after!

 

Regards,

Andy

[Ynot]

We deal on a regular basis with the CPS regs (as I'm sure do many venues) not least because we host SO many dance school shows along with everything else.

 

What sort of questions do you have?

[andrewg112]

Hi,

Well, ive hit a bit of a wall! Going back to the basic question "Do we actually need Licences." We dont actually know if we need to get any at all as we are a Non-profit company, and the ticket sales go right back into the theatre company for the next production.

 

Also becuase we are a youth group were also uncertain. The thing that makes me think we might, is we are having 2 matinee performaces, for the kids of the shows to show their schools. This means the kids will have time of school, which most of the heads have agreed to!

 

Will add more details, when I get in tonight!

 

Andy,

[TomWeston]

in personal experience with my local government, we always applying for performance licences for children under 16 years of age, no matter what the circumstance is. even our operatics societies have to conform to this.

 

although I should add that we are a government owned and run venue.

 

Hope this helps.

[paulears]

Much depends on the venue - if it is a theatre, then unlicensed under 16s are working illegally - so it's simple-ish, I guess. However - the really simple way is just to phone the Council and ask. You'll get passed around a bit, but eventually somebody will decide for you and then help you get it sorted out - your council are actually quite helpful, and have done it many, many times in the past.

[The Seedage]

Having gone through actually assisting in the writing of a child protection policy from the venue site, regardless of what the theatre suggest, what came out of our discussions is that best practice is always to apply for a licence, whether you need one or not.

 

The authorities can then see that you are pro-active in safeguarding the childrens safety.

 

There is also the added issue that a lot of the new child protection setups look at the actual child rather than the organisation. There are actual limits on how many performances a child can take part in, and while your particular production may only need the child to be present for a short period of time, they may have been involved in other productions, that have an impact on the license application.. For example, its not uncommen for a child to go to a dance school that do a performance, be put forward for Panto, and also get involved in an amdram production, therefore could be classed as 'working' for a much longer period than you are aware of over a year.

 

Bottom line is , if you always apply for a licence, and you take a pro-active view to looking after child performers, you stand better than a lot of organisations.. The general rule of thumb, is if it is a performance that people are charged to attend, then technically they will need some sort of licence whether an individual licence, or a 'body of person' licence (which covers a group of kids).

 

Also worth noting that the children need a licence from the council or body closest to their home, rather than where the performance is.. We had one school that had to go to 3 county councils to licence their performances.

 

(and from my experience, child welfare departments working on this sector are always very helpful!)

 

Just my two penneth.

[andrewg112]

Yep, thanks for your advice.

What I did mean to say in my rather rushed post at the end of my lunch break, was that I am going to phone tomorrow, to get a definitive answer.

 

Some useful stuff here!

Thanks,

Andy

[timtheenchanteruk]

You really do need to contact you council, unfortunatly they are the ones who have the final say.

I live in the middle of 3 authorities.

2 are not bad, you do need licences, one stipulates and want proof for licenced chaperones, the other just appropriate adults, its then down tho the group to assess the "appropriate" bit.

one is much more strict, licences, chaperones and will not allow performers under 16 to perform 2 consecutive days.

[paulears]

I'm just sitting here reading the latest missive from the licensing authority, that I've agreed to. One section details all the different kinds of abuse that could be inflicted on the kids.

 

Sexual Abuse - 'nuff said.

 

Some other kinds of abuse are a little more complex.

 

Emotional Abuse - you can't make them feel worthless, unloved, inadequate, unvalued, frightened or to witness domestic abuse, or even witness bullying.

 

Physical Abuse - No hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, scalding, drowning, suffocating

 

Doesn't leave much really, does it?

[David Lee]

Physical Abuse - No hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, scalding, drowning, suffocating

 

Doesn't leave much really, does it?

 

 

Shooting and stabbing ok then

[Ynot]

To the OP, the best answer has already been given - contact your county council CPS department ASAP for proper advice.

And yes, the councils' postions do vary slightly in some things. But the question of 'do they need a licence' is quite simple, and I believe across the board.

 

A child must be licensed if they have performed on stage (for a paying public) on more than 3 dates in the rolling 6 month period prior to the performance in question. That doesn't mean just with your group - if they danced for their dance academy, or another youth theatre, or had even a walk-on 30 second role in an a mainstream am-dram show, every appearance on stage counts to that figure. Some performances may be exempt (eg school shows played at school, etc) but you will need to check.

 

Our county council's CPS pages are here (WCC) - other councils will have similar pages.

[TheLightsTech]

Sorry if I offend anyone, but this is madness. We are certainly not this crazy on the other side of the pond. I don't know the rules for paid acting roles, but its no big deal for a kid to be in a play/dance recital/ect for a few shows (some are up to 6-8 performances) after school. I performed way more than 6 times a year at 12-13 years old (going up from there as I got older) and there was never any silly forms for the government.

[paulears]

In all seriousness, you're quite right - we do have an over-protection thing here in the UK, with our politicians making legislation knee-jerk fashion after every terrible incident - but it's clear the intent is protection. At the moment I have two groups of kids - one from a local dance school, who's chaperones are old and experienced and in reality are just 'replacement mums' - and I have another group that have been licensed by the venue, who have venue employed chaperones. As rehearsals over-ran the published times, the dance school interpretation was , ok, two more numbers then we're off. The new chaperones, with rule books still not quite dry, keep insisting the kids take breaks at timed moments, not predicting what's going on - and asking for ten minutes, BEFORE we do the next sequence, rather than during it. The kids get escorted to the toilets, to the food, to the other areas - and when I mentioned I was going to get rid of one, I was told that the regulations prevent me causing them distress - which, when I checked, is correct. If the choreographer can't yell at them for getting it wrong yet again, and I cannot fire one - it's a great inconvenience.

 

As far as I've been able to determine, there hasn't ever been a problem in a theatre - but blanket rules do this kind of thing.

 

We all want the kids to be in a safe environment, but we cannot be trusted to do it in our own way, based on local conditions - yet visits from Fire Officers are no rare, and we do self-assessment instead, meaning that potentially there are now more dangerous premises, not less, through inexperience or misunderstanding.

 

In Andrew's company, which based on reading the local newspapers, consists of a young people's company run by young people - they can't even 'police' themselves. They can raise money, then spend it and put on shows - yet cannot be responsible for their own safety. Sadly, in our town, theatre comes under the responsibility of the Portfolio Holder for Health and Wellbeing - which as you can probably guess means a bunch of clueless people who know absolutely nothing about theatre - but know how to run a sports centre .... Well actually, they aren't much good at that either!