Chaperone Process & Information

What is a chaperone?

A chaperone is a person who is approved under Regulation 15 of The Children (Performances and Activities) (England) Regulations 2014 to have care and control of a child and to safeguard, support and promote the well being of the child while he/she is taking part in a performance, rehearsal, activity or living away from home during the period of the licence.  The child must be accompanied by an approved chaperone, by their parent/carer who has parental responsibility for them or the teacher who would ordinarily provide the child’s education.

A child cannot be accompanied by their grandparent/older sibling/aunt/uncle/step-parent (who does not have parental responsibility) without them applying for and obtaining a chaperone licence.

Responsibilities of a chaperone

Chaperones are responsible for the safeguarding and welfare of the child/children in their care at all times during the period, to which the performance licence relates, except where the child is in the care of their own parent or teacher. 

Chaperones must accompany the child at all times, including to and from the dressing room, , studio, set or stage and must remain in the studio, on set or by the side of the stage whilst the child is performing.  They must remain with the child during meals, rest and recreation breaks.  If the child is staying away from home the chaperone must stay with them at their accommodation.

A chaperone is the key person who the child/ren look to for guidance, protection, clarification, and support.

Who can apply

Any Wokingham Borough resident over the age of 18 can apply

If you wish to become a licenced chaperone with Wokingham Borough Council and you are a resident within the Wokingham Borough, please contact us at childemployment@wokingham.gov.uk to request an application pack.

Please note we require a minimum of 8 weeks to process a complete application, therefore please ensure you read the information carefully and provide all the information required when you receive your email pack to prevent any delays. 

As all chaperones are licenced by the local authority in which they live, please ensure your postcode falls within the Wokingham Borough before applying. Become a licensed chaperone for child performers - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 

During the application process the Child Employment Officer will

• Request written references from two persons who have known you for 2 years.
• Carry out a Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS). (Full details on how to apply for this check are provided in our application pack). 
• Carry out an identity check at our offices, and take payment. Details of payment as follows:
  
  Volunteer Chaperone: £10.00
  
  Professional Chaperone: £50.00
• Ask you to complete an e-learning chaperone training module (Full details on how to complete this will be provided). Alternatively, the NSPCC offer online e-learning for chaperones. Please be aware that there is a fee to enrol on the NSPCC training. More details can be found at Protecting children in entertainment training for chaperones | NSPCC Learning.

In addition we may ask Chaperones to come to the office for an interview.



All applications should where possible, be submitted by email. Please be aware that applications received by post may delay the licensing process, and we request that original documents are not posted to the department.