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When you need a licence

You must have a chaperone licence to accompany a child taking part in a performance unless you're the parent or legal guardian of the child. A performance includes TV or filming, theatre, sporting activities and modelling.

Licence types

There are two types of chaperone licence:

  • voluntary
  • professional.

You can do paid or voluntary work with the professional licence. You can only work as a voluntary chaperone with the voluntary licence.

How to apply

Please note - You need to apply for a licence at least three months before you need it to allow time for checks by the Local Education Authority.

Contact the Child Employment team to request an application pack, which includes:

  • a chaperone licence application form
  • a disclosure and barring service form.

Disclosure and barring service (DBS) form

You'll need to complete your DBS form and then get it witnessed and countersigned by the child employment officer. You must do this in person at the Woolwich Centre and will need to show:

  • two forms of proof of address
  • one photographic ID, for example, passport.

Contact the Child Employment team to arrange a time for your DBS form to be witnessed and countersigned.

Once you've done this, contact the Child Employment team again to arrange an interview.

At the interview

You need to take the following documents to your appointment:

  • your completed chaperone licence application form
  • your completed and witnessed DBS certificate
  • one passport-sized photograph
  • two forms of proof of address.

Licence fees

The professional licence costs £87.46.

There is no charge for the voluntary licence.

What happens next

Your application will be assessed and, if successful, you'll be granted a licence.

You must undertake child protection training within one year of the issue of the licence. If you don't do the training, you'll lose your licence.

The Council runs annual child protection training sessions and will contact you with training dates.

The chaperone licence last for three years.

Your responsibilities as a chaperone

Under the licence conditions, you need to carry out the responsibilities of a chaperone.