Exploratory review of the regulation of child performance

The 1968 regulations and guidance that cover child performances were established under the Children and Young Persons Act 1963. Their aim was to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of children taking part in performances. In March 2010, Sarah Thane CBE published a report outlining the findings and recommendations of her review of the 40-year-old rules governing child performances.

The report set out proposals to reform and rebalance the system for licensing child performance, including the rules around working hours, medicals, education, children under 14, and proposals about the inspection arrangements. It also included proposals in relation to chaperones and in respect of the amateur sector. You can download the full report from the associated resources section on the right-hand side of this page.

The review followed the Department’s informal discussions with a wide range of partners, including children’s organisations, broadcasters, producers, representatives of theatres and local productions and local authorities that found that the existing regulations were outdated for today’s settings. 

The Government is working with partners to consider what changes are required to this legislation in order to ensure that robust protections are in place to safeguard children while making sure these measures are proportionate and can facilitate opportunities for children to perform.

If you are a parent or production company and wish to make an enquiry about a licence for a performance, you need to contact your local authority. Further information can be found in the 'child employment' pages of the Directgov website.

Information for local authorities and amateur groups

The Government has provided guidance to local authorities and amateur performance groups on how to make greater use of Body of Persons (BOP) approvals. These approvals can be given to amateur groups in order to reduce the administrative requirements involved in licensing children for performances. The guidance is available to download.