Child working hours, breaks and meal provision

Children should not be at a place of performance any later than:

• 10pm for children aged 4 and under
• 11pm for children aged 5 and over

Ensure that children have suitable opportunities for recreation and the right breaks for rest and meals. Any special dietary requirements must be provided, whether for medical reasons or on religious grounds.

View the full list of working hours and break time restrictions for each age group.

Broadcast and recorded performances

You may allow children to take part in a broadcast or recorded performance for 30 minutes beyond the allotted time, if either:

• you are satisfied that their welfare will not suffer
• the circumstances are outside the control of the licence holder (such as serious issues with film production schedules)

Do not allow children to take part if it means their total work hours would exceed the maximum for a child of that age.

Night work

The local authority may allow children to work beyond the latest permitted time (if outside scenes are essential) or after midnight if they believe it is not practical to complete the work before then.

You should ensure the child:

• has a break of at least 16 hours before they return to the place of performance after night work
• does not do any further night work for at least a week if they’ve done night work on 2 consecutive nights

Any performance taking place after midnight counts as part of the performing time allowed on the previous day.

Night work must be agreed in advance with the local authority. They can stop the child doing night work if they believe it may cause the child harm, even if their appearance is necessary.

If a child is living away from home for work

If you are chaperoning a child who is living away from home for work purposes, you should ensure:

• they have the opportunity for rest, recreation and exercise during their non-working time
• there are suitable meal arrangements
• food is provided at the accommodation, if possible

View further advice on accommodation, facilities and transport whilst living away from home for work.