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Child Licensing Regulations regarding Child Performances

(children aged 16 or under)

Milton Keynes Festival of the Arts for Dance, Music and Drama 2019

 

 

 

 

The children involved in the festival will need to either be authorised by a Body of Persons Approval (BOPA)

or utilise the licensing exemption known as the ‘four day rule’.

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Body of Persons Approval (BOPA)

A BOPA removes the need to apply for individual licences for child performers and it is granted to the organisation that is responsible for the performance, such as our festival. It is therefore the organisation that is approved as a suitable group. It can apply to one performance or a series of performances so could cover a whole festival, from adjudicated classes right through to a gala show.

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The BOPA only needs to include those performers who meet the following criteria:

• Are of compulsory school age

• Has performed in any capacity (music/dance/drama/comedy/orchestra) with any organisation other than with their own school more than 3 days in the last six months immediately preceding the festival date.

       (e.g if the festival performance is in February 2019 then any time from the beginning of the school term in           September 2018 or from October 2018 if their festival performance is in March 2019).

The performances mentioned above must have met at least one of the following:​

• A charge was made in connection with the performance (e.g an admission fee)​

• It took place on licensed premises for alcohol supply

• It was a broadcast performance 

• It was recorded to be broadcast

 

​       Performances organised and produced by your child's school are exempt. (e.g. an end of term concert).

 

If the performer meets any of the above criteria then you must notify the Festival by completing the child licensing form or on the form which is automatically emailed to you with your entry confirmation, or on the reverse of the entry form which can be downloaded from the website which you can complete and either email or send by  post. Failing to do so may prevent the child from performing.

 

​​The deadline for child licensing information is 1 January 2019.

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In order to satisfy the local authority that our festival is a suitable organisation to be granted a BOPA, the local authority needs to see evidence of the following:

• Clear and robust safeguarding policies

• Designated Safeguarding Officer

• A regularly updated Child Protection Policy in place

• Evidence of any safeguarding training undertaken by festival team

• DBS checking of volunteers

• The supervision of children from sign-in to sign-out, including provision for supervision backstage if applicable.

Our festival satisfies all the above requirements.

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Your help and assistance with this is greatly appreciated and if you have any queries or concerns please do let me know.

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Best wishes

​Pat Haig

Festival Organiser and Vice Chair     

07771 702136    pathaig@me.com