Filming with anyone below the age of 18 means there are additional policies and regulations that your production must follow, and this can sometimes feel daunting.
In June 2024 Arlene de Cruz (Founder, The Children’s Productions Support Hub) and Claire Tailyour (award-winning drama and documentary writer-director) joined us to discuss the practical considerations to keep in mind when working with children, as well as the best tools and frameworks to use.
Below is a summary of their advice.
Have a plan in place to safeguard young artists from “Casting Brief to Wrap” (CB2W)
It’s important to have a plan in place from the moment you begin casting, through to the point where your production is released to the world. The key points to keep in mind are:
• Casting: Whilst not a requirement, it is encouraged to have chaperones present during casting, either in the room or watching via a monitor elsewhere. Having chaperones present during this early stage can build trust with parents/guardians and can also make your young actors feel more at ease, resulting in better auditions.
• Costume fittings: Chaperones should be present during fittings to help create a safe environment for everyone. You should consider what safeguards you have put in place for your fitting team also.
• Read through sessions: Children may not be required throughout the entirety of your read through sessions, so it’s also important to have chaperones on hand. This can be a great moment to sit down with parents/guardians and go through important logistics such as allergy info, accessibility requirements, etc. It’s encouraged to have a “parent pack” produced which includes all this information.
• Rehearsals: Have the relevant licenses (see below) in place for rehearsals. As with read through sessions, children may not be required through the duration of rehearsals so this could be a good time to bank some tutoring hours (see below) ahead of time.
• Transport: From the moment your young actors leave their home they are your responsibility. Make sure their travel is arranged so that they are safe and comfortable, and there is a limited risk of them being unable to make their way to set due to unforeseen circumstances. And remember that Travel Movement Orders can throw off a child’s required tutor hours, so it’s incredibly important to get this right.
• Accommodation: If overnight stays are necessary, think about the best ways to safeguard your child actors in this environment. “Parent packs” are very useful for overnight stays. It’s recommended to have an accommodation checklist that is signed off by parents/guardians in the event of an overnight stay.
• On set: It’s crucial that the whole cast and crew is aware of what your young actors should and shouldn’t be exposed to. Check in with stunt teams, intimacy coordinators, choreographers etc., to ensure that children are safe whilst on set.
• ADR’s: If steps have been taken to limit a child’s exposure to certain elements of a production whilst on set, you should ensure that they are not exposed to these during any ADR.
• Interviews and screenings: When your finished project has been released what elements do your young actors need to be protected from? For example, you should make sure that they’re not asked about inappropriate themes or scenes on their press tour.
How do you prep with younger people in a production?
When reading through the script pay careful attention to the dialogue of your young actors, and the dialogue they will be exposed to. What are they wearing? What environment are they in? What are the key props within the scene? And most importantly, is this all appropriate for them?
Scene content must be appropriate for your young cast and if it’s not then you must have a plan in place. Stand-ins or doubles can be useful for these purposes, not only to help you shoot scenes where the presence of a child would be inappropriate but this can also free up your young actors for some valuable tutoring time.
Depending on the content of the script you may also consider inviting a psychologist on set.
What are the types of child licenses you need?
The types of licences you need will depend on the local council, so make sure you check with them as to their specific requirements.
You may require the following from your local council.
• Child licence
• Body of persons licence
• 4 Day Rule Exemption Certificate
• Unscripted/Ob Docs/Factual productions will usually require a licence
Most councils can take up to 21 days to issue a license so it’s worthwhile thinking about how this factors into the production timeline.
Consider asking parents to prepare the relevant documentation ahead of time during the casting process. If you do the latter, however, be sure to provide a disclaimer that all relevant information will be destroyed if their child isn’t successful in the casting.
When shooting overseas you will need International Child Licensing. Applications for these are through the Magistrates courts and take approximately 7-10 days. UK child performance regulations apply for the term of the licence. If you bring a child over from abroad, you must license that child through the Local Authority nearest to your production office. The UK Child performance regulations will apply.
How do I factor tutoring into the filming schedule?
Child licences are usually granted on the condition that the child’s education will not suffer. In this sense your young actors’ involvement is contingent on adequate tutoring being provided. Some requirements are:
• Children should receive 15 hours of tutoring per week, delivered over a minimum of 6 sessions per week.
• Tutor sessions should last no less than 30 minutes.
• Tutoring is required on days when the child would usually be required to attend school (not bank holidays).
For a child aged 9 years and above, the maximum working day is 9 and a half hours. Prepping your tuition around your schedule will help to avoid being reactive and finding time to fit hours in. Aggregating Tutors hours around your scheduling saves both time and money.
A good way to approach aggregating your tutor hours is to create blocks made up of one to four weeks (though no more than four). Then take your total hours and divide by your working days to average your daily expected hours. This should help you stay on target. And remember, if you can it’s best to schedule hours in advance to keep you from falling behind.
What are council spot checks and how can I prepare for them?
Local councils will visit your location and unit base to perform spot checks without prior warning.
They will interview the production team, children and chaperones, and check your paperwork to ensure you have the required licenses.
It’s important that you facilitate this process and keep a folder of forms including:
• Child licences
• Parent packs
• Child Protection Policy
• Chaperones and Tutors licences and DBS checks
• Completed performance times sheets and tutor time sheets
Chaperones
Chaperones should work as part of your AD team and support their work. Your chaperone requires three areas of proficiency:
1. Safeguarding training and the signs to look out for.
2. Understanding of the DfE child performance regulations.
3. Knowledge of the production process and protocols, which is essential to facilitate safeguarding.
As all Local Authorities differ, not all chaperones are automatically trained. Make sure you request certifications and CVs from your chaperones.
Working with ICs and chaperones
When working on a production which involves children with intimacy and close contact, both the IC and Chaperone collaborate to ensure a child’s mental and physical welfare.
Types of intimacy may include:
• Close bodily contact/kissing with other minors
• Close bodily contact/kissing with adults (eg. on screen parents)
• Scenes which include undressing of minor
• Scenes of a sexual nature with minors present
• Scenes containing adults in underwear/shirtless adults
• Portrayal of sexual abuse including minors
• Child birthing scenes
Advice for safeguarding young artists (16 –18 year olds)
In the eyes of the law “children” refers to anyone under 18. It’s important that you still consider what safeguards you have in place for anyone at the older end of this age range.
One option is to consider employing a YPC (Young Person Chaperone) who can act as a friendly bridge between your young artist and the rest of the production crew.
You may also consider pairing young artists with another member of the cast if there is anyone appropriate. They can help your young cast members feel included and a part of the team. This does not replace your chaperone who should always be on hand to monitor and wellbeing support.
