Your responsibilities if you hold a child performance licence
Licence holders must make sure all arrangements meet legal requirements. This includes arrangements for education, accommodation and travel.
Children must also have a chaperone.
We can withdraw a licence and event organisers can be prosecuted if they do not comply with the rules.
How to apply for a child performance licence
The person responsible for organising the performance must make the application and make sure the conditions of the licence are met.
Applications must go to the council covering the child's home address.
For children who live in Cheshire East, download our performance licence application form (MS Word, 60KB) and send it to us.
We must get the application at least 21 working days before the first performance date.
The form includes sections for both event organiser and parents/carers. The event organiser should ask the parent/carer to fill in their section and return it to them before sending the complete document to us with the following:
- a copy of the organisation's safeguarding policy (if there is one)
- a copy of the organisation's risk assessment for the performance (if there is one)
- a copy of the child’s birth certificate (do not send the original)
- two printed identical photos (unmounted) of the child taken during the last 6 months or an electronic photo (e.g. a jpeg file) - photos must be a full head shot taken in good light and not be altered or enhanced in any way
- a copy of the contract, draft contract or other documents (where they exist) containing details of the agreement regulating the child’s participation in the performance or activity to which the application relates.
After you apply for a child performance licence
We will issue the licence if we are satisfied that you have appropriate arrangements in place to protect the child's health, welfare and education and that the child's school is happy with the arrangements.
We may set conditions specific to each licence.
If we refuse the licence we will tell you why.
You can appeal to the magistrate's court if you disagree with our reasons to refuse or if you disagree with any conditions we set.