Chaperones
A child taking part in a performance, which can include TV or filming, theatre, paid sporting activities or modelling, will require chaperoning. Chaperones act in ‘loco parentis’ and should exercise the care which a good parent might be reasonably expected to give that child.
Applying for a chaperone licence
In order to be licenced, you will need to:
Fully complete a Chaperone Licence Application Form
Each online application will require a recent colour passport sized photo image (j.peg or similar) of yourself (for your ID badge) and 3 forms of ID to be uploaded when submitting online form.
Acceptable forms of ID:
- Valid passport
- Photocard driving licence
- Birth certificate – issued within 12 months of birth
- Mortgage statement – issued within last 12 months
- Bank or building society statement – issued within last 3 months
- Credit card statement – issued within last 3 months
- P45 or P60 statement – issued within last 12 months
- Council Tax statement – issued within last 12 months
- Utility bill (not mobile phone bill) – issued within last 3 months
For full list of acceptable forms please visit www.gov.uk
Please note that you are required to submit the names and addresses of 2 referees who will be contacted and asked to forward written references. One should preferably be from the group or organisation you are working with, and the other from someone who knows you professionally and can confirm you already work well with children, or someone else who can offer this information. Your Chaperone Licence will not be issued until we have received both references. You therefore need to ensure that you allow sufficient time for this process.
You will be required to complete an online Chaperone Training Course in order for us to assess your suitability to be a licenced chaperone. Information on this training will be forwarded to you on receipt of your Chaperone Application.
Your DBS Application
Once you have completed the application form and submitted it to the child employment and entertainment inbox the administrator will start your DBS application, you will receive a link via email from a noreply@employmentcheck@devon.gov.uk please follow the link and complete your details.
Admin will then contact you to arrange to meet on a Teams call to have sight of your original ID documents so that they can be verified.
If the applicant has a DBS check which is less than 3 months old and relates to a job working with children, then sight of this certificate will be accepted (please upload a scanned copy with your application form and photo). In all other cases, a new DBS check will be required and this will be carried out by Devon County Council.
If you are currently signed up to the DBS update service, then all you will need to do is give us sight of your certificate and your ID number so that we can check this for you (please upload a scanned copy with your application form and photo).
The cost of the DBS check is free to all volunteers, although there will be a £15 + VAT administration fee. If a chaperone receives any payment for the role and is not strictly an unpaid volunteer, then there will be a charge for the DBS check of £44 plus the administration fee.
Please visit our online shop to pay the volunteer Chaperone administration fee.
To pay for your DBS check, you will need to register for an account on our SHOP. You can do this by going to:
- Devon Education Services online shop | DES (devoneducationservices.co.uk)
- Click on Register in the top right hand corner
- Put your e-mail address in the e-mail address box
- Select Other Individual/Home Address
- Tick the My address is not shown box
- Enter your address details
- Click proceed
- Follow the registration process through in order to set up this account for yourself
Once you have done this and are logged in, you can pay for the DBS check by visiting – Chaperone training – DBS check only | DES (devoneducationservices.co.uk) (devoneducationservices.co.uk/products/370/ChaperoneDBS)
Please note your licence will not be processed until you have completed all of the steps above.
Whilst this department is responsible for the licensing of chaperones, we are not responsible for terms/conditions of any employment you may undertake.
If you have any queries, please contact childemploymentandentertainment@devon.gov.uk or 01392 287223 and we will be able to advise you.