Child employment, chaperones and children in entertainment

Part-time work (school age children)

Part-time work can improve your confidence, provide valuable experience and earn you some money !

But did you know?

  • You must be at least 13 years old to work part-time;
  • Any job must be done outside of school hours;
  • I must not affect your studies or mean you miss school; and
  • You must have a work permit issued by the local authority where you will be employed if you are still of school age *

* School age is right up until the last Friday in June of Year 11 - even if you are already 16 or have a National Insurance Number.

Anyone employing a child without a work permit is breaking the law. A permit is required for all paid and and unpaid work as well as working in a family business.

You can request further information from:

Attendance and Placement Service
North Tyneside Council
3rd Floor
Quadrant East
Silverlink North
Cobalt Business Park
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE27 0BY

Telephone: (0191) 643 8364

(Tuesday-Thursday 10:00 am to 3:00pm)

Related documents

Chaperones

If you wish to look after a young person taking part in a performance or activity and you are not the parent or guardian, you are legally required to obtain approval from the local authority where you live.

A chaperone is acting "in loco parentis" (I.e being responsible for a child while the child's parents are absent) and should exercise the care to which a good parent would be reasonably expected to give that child.

To obtain approval you must be 18-years old or over.

When you have completed and returned your application to us, we will  need the following:

  • An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS).
  • 2 references.

We will also carry out checks with Social Care Services.

You will need to complete an e-learning safeguarding module via our Learning Pool every 3 years.

A fee is payable for the Enhanced DBS check, plus an administration charge.

This cost will not be applied if the applicant is a volunteer.

It can take up to 12 weeks to process your application.

You can request further information from:

Attendance and Placement Service
North Tyneside Council
3rd Floor
Quadrant East
Silverlink North
Cobalt Business Park
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE27 0BY

Telephone: (0191) 643 8364

(Tuesday-Thursday 10:00 am to 3:00 pm)

 

Related documents

Children in entertainment

Many children enjoy performing:

  • On stage
  • In films
  • On TV
  • As models
  • In sport

Parents are usually very supportive, but laws exist to protect the children's welfare and prevent them from being exploited.

The person responsible for the production/activity in which the child is to take part must apply to the Local Authority in which the child lives for a Child Performance Licence.  

The licence must be issued before the performance takes place and the application should be made at least 21 days before the performance date. 

If the application is late, there is no guarantee that the licence will be issued.

Body of Persons Approval (BOPA)

A BOPA may be granted to an organisation for a performance providing that no payment is made to the child (or anyone else in respect of the child taking part) and the child does not require absence from school.  If granted, a BOPA removes the need to apply for individual performance licence for each child taking part.  The approval is granted by the local authority where the performance is taking place and covers all the children taking part even if they do not live within that local authority.  The application should be made at least 21 days before the performance date.

You can request further information from:

Attendance and Placement Service
North Tyneside Council
3rd Floor Quadrant East
Silverlink North
Cobalt Business Park
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE27 0BY

Telephone: (0191) 643 8364

(Tuesday-Thursday 10:00 am to 3:00 pm)

Related documents