What to do if a child is ill or injured
Children should not perform if they are ill or injured. If a child falls ill or is injured while in your charge, get medical assistance and immediately tell a parent or guardian and the licensing authority. Do not ignore the signs in order to meet the production schedule.
You should also be aware that not all children present illness in an obvious way and symptoms may be hard to spot.
If a child is too ill to perform, arrange for them to be sent home with a parent or guardian.
In cases of serious illness or accident
If a child is seriously injured or ill, send them to hospital and immediately tell a parent or guardian and the licensing authority.
How you respond to a case of serious illness or accident will depend on how many chaperones are on duty that day.
Below are some possible situations and how you might respond to resolve them. In all these situations, a parent or guardian may be able to meet you at the hospital and take charge of the child. This would allow you to return to your duties back at the venue or site.
| Situation | Possible response |
|---|---|
| There is another chaperone available who can legally take charge of the children in your care. | Leave the children with the other chaperone while you escort the injured or ill child to hospital. |
| You are the only chaperone available and have other children who need chaperoning. | Check if there is anybody else on the production team who has a chaperone licence and ask if they can step in to cover you whilst you escort the injured or ill child to hospital. |
| You are the only chaperone, have other children who need chaperoning, and nobody on the production team is licensed to cover you. | If the children are being tutored by a tutor with DBS, you can leave the children with them whilst you escort the injured or ill child to hospital. |
| You are the only chaperone, have other children who need chaperoning, but there is nobody available to cover you. | In this situation, you would need to take the children in your care with you whilst you escort the injured or ill child to hospital. Children must be in your sight at all times unless another licensed chaperone is available to cover you. |
