If children or young people attend your event, whether as ticket holders, participants, or family members of adult attendees, you have a duty to take reasonable steps to safeguard them. Safeguarding is one of the four licensing objectives under the Licensing Act 2003, and failures in this area can result in licence reviews, criminal prosecution, and severe reputational damage.
Disclaimer: Safeguarding law and guidance is extensive and varies by context. This article provides general guidance for event organisers in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate safeguarding frameworks. For events involving regulated activity with children, always seek specialist legal advice and consult your local authority children's services or the NSPCC helpline.
Understanding your duty
Event organisers do not have an automatic legal duty to carry out DBS checks on all staff. However, you do have a general duty of care to all attendees, including children, and specific duties under various pieces of legislation:
- Children Act 1989 and 2004 -- establish the framework for child protection in England and Wales. Section 11 of the 2004 Act places a duty on certain organisations (including local authorities, police, and health bodies) to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. While this duty does not directly apply to private event organisers, it informs the expectations of licensing authorities and the Safety Advisory Group.
- Licensing Act 2003 -- the protection of children from harm is a licensing objective. Licensing authorities can impose conditions on premises licences and review licences where this objective is not being met.
- Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 -- establishes the legal framework for DBS checks and the barred lists. If your event involves "regulated activity" with children (defined below), you must ensure that staff are not barred.
DBS checks: when are they required?
DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks are required when a person is engaged in "regulated activity" with children. Regulated activity includes:
- Unsupervised teaching, training, instructing, caring for, or supervising children.
- Providing guidance or advice on well-being to children.
- Driving a vehicle used only for transporting children.
For most general events (concerts, festivals, community fetes), general staff such as stewards and bar workers are not engaged in regulated activity and do not require DBS checks. However, staff in specific roles may require them:
- Children's activity leaders or workshop facilitators.
- Creche or childcare staff.
- Lost children coordinators.
- Youth workers.
If in doubt about whether a role constitutes regulated activity, check the DBS guidance on GOV.UK or contact the DBS directly.
Developing a safeguarding policy
Every event that welcomes children should have a written safeguarding policy. This does not need to be a lengthy document, but it should cover:
- Designated safeguarding lead -- name a specific person who is responsible for safeguarding at the event. This person should be trained, available throughout the event, and known to all staff.
- Reporting procedures -- how staff should report safeguarding concerns (to the designated safeguarding lead, not directly to the child or the suspected perpetrator). Include contact details for the local authority children's services referral team and the police.
- Code of conduct -- expectations for staff behaviour when interacting with children, including never being alone with a child, never sharing personal contact details with children, and never using personal devices to photograph children.
- Recruitment and vetting -- which roles require DBS checks, how references are obtained, and how supervision is maintained for staff working with children.
- Photography policy -- rules about photographing children at the event (covered in more detail below).
Lost and found children procedures
Every event with a significant family audience should have a clear procedure for lost and found children. Key elements include:
- A designated meeting point or welfare tent staffed by trained personnel.
- A policy that staff should never take a lost child away from a public area without another staff member present.
- A system for recording details when a child is reported lost or found, including descriptions and photographs of the child (taken with the child's and parent's consent for identification purposes only).
- A procedure for verifying that the person collecting a child is their parent or guardian.
- A protocol for escalating to the police if a child is not reunited with their parent within a reasonable time.
Good venue and capacity planning can reduce the likelihood of children becoming lost. Clear wayfinding, well-lit areas, and identifiable meeting points all help.
Photography and children
Taking photographs of children at events requires careful handling. There is no law that prohibits photographing children in public places, but safeguarding best practice requires:
- Informing parents and guardians (via your event communications and signage at the event) that photography will take place.
- Not publishing photographs that identify individual children without parental consent.
- Not publishing photographs that could put a child at risk (for example, images that include a child's name badge or school uniform).
- Having a clear process for parents to request that their child not be photographed.
Working with under-18 performers and participants
If your event involves children as performers (for example, in a talent show, a dance performance, or a youth music competition), additional rules apply. The Children and Young Persons Act 1963 (and associated regulations) requires a licence from the local authority for children performing in certain circumstances. Exemptions exist for performances organised by schools and for certain amateur performances, but the rules are specific and should be checked for each situation.
Under-18 performers must have appropriate supervision, rest breaks, and welfare facilities. The local authority children's services team can advise on the specific requirements for your event.
Training your team
All staff at events that welcome children should receive a basic safeguarding briefing as part of their pre-event induction. This should cover: what safeguarding means, how to recognise signs of abuse or neglect, what to do if a child makes a disclosure, who the designated safeguarding lead is, and the event's lost children procedure.
For staff in roles involving direct work with children, more comprehensive training is appropriate. The NSPCC, local authority safeguarding boards, and various training providers offer courses suitable for event contexts.
Reporting concerns
If a member of staff has a safeguarding concern about a child, they must report it to the designated safeguarding lead immediately. The lead should then assess the concern and, if appropriate, make a referral to the local authority children's services or the police. If a child is in immediate danger, call 999 without delay.
Never attempt to investigate a safeguarding concern yourself. Do not question the child in detail, do not confront the person the concern relates to, and do not delay reporting because you are not sure whether the concern is serious enough. It is always better to report and let the professionals assess.
Safeguarding is not a burden; it is a fundamental responsibility. Getting it right means every child at your event is safe, and every parent can trust that you are taking their child's welfare seriously. Make it part of your event planning process from day one.
