Apply for a Body of Persons Approval

If your organisation is performing in Sheffield, we can grant you a Body of Persons Approval (BOPA). This covers all of your child performers. 

A BOPA means you do not need to have licences for each child in your performance and it will cover all children, including those who live outside Sheffield.

Your organisation can be any type. It does not matter if you are a professional company, amateur group, stage or broadcasting company.

How to comply with BOPA

In order for us to grant a BOPA, your group must demonstrate that you have clear, robust and well embedded safeguarding policies and arrangements in place that protect the children.

Your performance has to meet the following criteria:

• no payment is being made for the child’s involvement in the performance
• there will be no absence from school

We should have evidence that your organisation has:

• a designated child protection/safeguarding officer
• a regularly updated (every 12 months) child protection policy together with details of how this is communicated and followed
• evidence of any child protection/safeguarding training provided
• procedures for checking the suitability of persons who will have responsibility for children

We will ask you to agree to certain conditions which may include:

• compliance with Regulation 11 and Regulations 15 to 29 of The Children (Performances and Activities) (England) Regulations 2014
• ensuring an appropriate number of local authority approved chaperones are engaged to care for the children and that they are supervised at all times
• ensuring suitable arrangements for first aid
• a risk assessment that must be carried out in respect of each place of performance
• maintaining detailed and complete records of children involved in the group
• telling us the number and gender of the children taking part
• obtaining a signed statement of fitness from the parent of each child
• one of authorised officers must have unrestricted access to any rehearsal, technical rehearsal or performance at any venue you may use

We may impose other conditions depending on the individual circumstances of the performance.

BOPAs for periods of time

If a BOPA is requested for a period of time and will cover multiple performances, then in addition to the above criteria we will also:

• meet with you to discuss their arrangements and procedures face to face (this could be at their usual venue)
• offer training to your group on the details of the regulations and safeguarding
• make regular contact with you
• conduct an inspection visit during the period of the BOPA

You will need to:

• provide the dates, times and location of each performance to take place under the BOPA
• provide the number and gender split of all children taking part in each performance
• provide the name and contact details for the lead person responsible for each performance

How to apply

To apply for a Body of Persons Approval please complete the application form. 

You should submit your application at least 21 days before the first day of the performance.

Applications submitted with 5 working days’ notice or less (this does not include the day of submission and the first day of performance) will be refused. The necessary checks cannot be completed in time.