Children in Entertainment Co-ordinator

Job Title: Children in Entertainment Co-ordinator
Starting Salary: £27,694 progressing to £31,022 pa
Hours: 37.0
Location: Stevenage (Remote)
Contract Type: Permanent
Directorate: Childrens Services

About the team

The Statutory Attendance Support Team are a strong established team with statutory responsibilities and expertise in relation to school absence and are a core part of Hertfordshire’s strategy supporting the DfE agenda in making attendance everyone’s business. The Statutory Attendance Support Team covers responsibilities for school attendance, penalty notices, school aged employment and children in entertainment.

About the role

Young people of compulsory school age may legally work in the entertainment industry, but their working hours are strictly governed by legislation. This role exists to ensure that appropriate performance licences are issued for children, enabling the Local Authority to meet its statutory responsibility to safeguard those employed in entertainment.

By law, children working in entertainment must be supervised by licensed chaperones. This role also ensures the Local Authority fulfils its duty to approve and regulate chaperones, maintaining legal compliance and protecting the welfare of child performers.

Duties include:

• Ensuring that children who perform do so in accordance with the relevant legislation and regulations and are licensed appropriately.
• Issue child performance licenses, Body of Persons exemptions and Chaperone Licenses.
• Revoke or refuse licenses where they do not comply with legislation or for other identified reasons, communicating decisions to all relevant parties.
• Interview/train prospective chaperones to ensure that they are aware of and comply with legal requirements – including DBS. Oversee applications and issue chaperone licenses as appropriate.
• Receive and evaluate personal references in relation to chaperone applications.
• Receive notifications from Human Resources of applications where convictions/cautions are identified.
• Together with the Children in Entertainment Officer conduct risk assessment interviews with chaperone applicants whose DBS Certificate includes convictions, to assess whether a license may be issued and make recommendations to the Service Manager as a result.
• Provide advice and guidance to agents, productions, theatres, schools, parents and other Local Authorities to ensure they comply with all relevant legislation in respect of children who perform.
• Answer complex enquiries from broadcasters, theatres, headteachers, agents and parents which require interpretation of relevant legislation, regulations and guidance.
• Undertake inspections of productions in studios, theatres and off-site locations to ensure children are performing legally in accordance with the terms of their licenses. Advise the productions as to any actions to be taken because of the inspection findings.
• Complete inspection reports for other Local Authorities whose children are involved in the production.
• Plan and prioritise workloads to ensure that licenses are issued in accordance with HCC’s published timescales, including managing increases in demand particularly during pantomime season.
• Ensure all information is uploaded onto the database for information and reporting purposes.

About you

Essential:

• Some knowledge and understanding of the legislation and regulations relating to child performance and the ability to interpret and apply this in respect of individual applications.
• Ability to prioritise your own workload to ensure that licenses can be issued within tight timescales.
• Ability to produce accurate work under pressure. Be able to demonstrate attention to detail which is crucial in this role.
• Ability to communicate effectively across a wide range of audiences, e.g. agents, producers, officers from other Local Authorities, and parents.
• Ability to have difficult conversations and to respond assertively to requests from agents, producers, parents and others for licenses to be issued outside regulations or within reduced timescales.
• A good standard of general education.
• You will be able to work with minimal direction and supervision.
• You will have the ability to implement, maintain and monitor processes effectively and be confident in the use of electronic recording and record keeping.
• You will have excellent organisational skills, good attention to detail and be able to prioritise your workload effectively.

Joining us, you'll be part of a supportive, experienced team that’s passionate about making a difference for children and young people in Hertfordshire. With a solid induction, ongoing support, and the chance to build great relationships, you'll grow your skills while working flexibly. Our blended approach helps you achieve a better work/life balance, save money, and reduce your environmental impact. Apply today!

This job role is within the Business Support Services, level BUS7 job profile. Please locate this via:

Job profiles: Business support services

To hear more about this opportunity please contact chris.thomas@hertfordshire.gov.uk for an informal discussion about the role.

Interview Date: 3rd September

Benefits of working for us

How to apply

As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences.

Additional information

Disability Confident
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

English Fluency
The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.