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Bringing Visitors Onto Site to Participate in Course Activities

If you are planning to bring visitors onto site to participate in a course activity, you will need to obtain permission from the University before the date of the planned activity. You will need to complete the ‘Request for permission to bring visitors onto University premises’ form with details of your activity, and all of the non-University participants taking part. If your activities involve participants under the age of 18, you will need to complete an additional form for those participants (see below).

You should submit your completed form to your course leader at least 2 working days before the planned activity.

Please note that if you are intending to bring a visitor who is under-18 the University will need a longer period of time to obtain the relevant parental consent so we will require at least 7 working days for under-18 visitors.

Please include all of the information requested.

Incomplete forms will be returned and will result in a delay to the relevant permission being granted.

Participants who are under-18

If you wish to include a participant who is under the age of 18 to take part in a course activity on University premises (e.g. filming, photography or voice recording) you will need to complete a separate application form so that the University can obtain parental consent and fulfil its obligations to safeguard children and young adults on its premises. A child is defined as a young person below the age of 18 and includes students.

Note: if you have a mixture of participants aged under 16, and 16 or 17, please use the form for participants under the age of 16 and include details of all under-18 year olds on this form.You should email your completed form to aro@norwichuni.ac.uk, and copy in your Course Leader and the Course Administrator in the Student Enquiries Office, at least 7 working days before the planned activity. Please include all of the information requested. Incomplete forms will be returned and will result in a delay to the relevant permission being granted. 

Please note that you will not be allowed to proceed with your planned activity if you have not obtained the relevant permission. Requests submitted less than 7 days in advance will not be accepted and you will need to reschedule your activity.

Safeguarding under-18s

It is important that you understand your obligations if you are involving a person who is under-18 in your activity. Care must be taken over the physical and emotional welfare and the dignity of people who are under-18 and who take part, or who are otherwise involved in, films, recordings, photographs or other performances, whether or not on University premises. If you are organising an activity involving under-18 participants you must ensure that you adhere to the following guidelines:

  • Under-18 participants should be treated with respect at all times, and should not be discriminated against on the basis of race, gender, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender identity, economic status or ability.
  • Children under the age of 16 should be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, or other appropriate adult (e.g. school teacher) at all times.
  • Under-18 participants should be supervised at all times and should not be allowed to leave the location of the activity unaccompanied.
  • No participant should be subjected to unnecessary distress or anxiety by their involvement in the planned activity.
  • No participant should be put at unnecessary risk of danger.
  • Under-18 participants should not be subjected to swearing or inappropriate language, or be allowed to smoke, drink alcohol or take part in any other activity restricted to over-18 year olds.
  • All those involved in the activity should avoid making unnecessary physical contact with, or engaging in conversation or behaviour that may be misinterpreted as flirtatious or suggestive by, an under-18 participant.
  • Participants, regardless of their age, must not be allowed to take part in any criminal activity.

Under 16 performance/entertainment licence

Where participation of a child under the compulsory school age involves taking part in a performance, it may be necessary to obtain a performance licence from the child’s Local Authority in addition to obtaining permission from the University. Performance includes film, audio-recording for films/animations or broadcasts and photography. Individuals are considered to be of compulsory school age until the last Friday in June in the school year in which they reach 16 (under current legislation).

A child may perform without a licence for up to four days if:

  • the child is not getting paid;
  • no absence from school is required;
  • the child has not performed in the previous six months

If you are paying the child as a performer or a model you will need to apply for a licence regardless of the duration of the planned activity. This also applies if your activity will involve the child taking any time off school.

If you need to apply for a licence, applications should be submitted to the relevant Local Authority at least 21 days before the performance takes place to guarantee that the licence will be granted in time for the planned activity. The licensing authority is normally the Local Authority where the child lives. If a child attends boarding school, the Local Authority is where the school is located. Forms and guidance should be obtained from the relevant Local Authority.

Protection of Children Act 1978

It is a criminal offence to take, distribute or show an indecent photograph or image of an under-18. This provision includes filming for television, and filming or photography intended for submission for assessment and/or for the final degree show. This includes involvement of a person under-18 in a photograph or film image that is itself indecent, even if the under-18’s role in it is not central. The legislation is contained within the Protection of Children Act 1978 (PCA) (section 1). For purposes of the act, a child is defined as any person under the age of 18.

The Criminal Justice Act 1988 (CJA) (section 160(1)) has broadened the scope of this legislation and makes it an offence to possess any indecent photograph etc. whether or not there is an intention to distribute.

Data Protection

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) gives individuals rights of control over the collection and use of their personal data and applies to children as well as adults. Information about how the University fulfils its obligations under the GDPR is available in the University’s Data Protection Policy.

Personal data can include photographs or images of identifiable individuals where they are the focus of the photograph and are capable of being identified. Incidental inclusion of an image, for example a street scene, is unlikely to fall within the scope of the DPA provisions. It is important that where a photograph or film is made that the individual’s informed consent is obtained in order to ensure that the participant’s rights under the DPA and their right to privacy are not contravened. Informed consent means that the participant(s) must be made aware of the full details of the activity that they will be taking part in, and what the photograph/images will be used for. When taking images of a child, the consent of one or both of the parents or legal guardians must also be obtained.

Copyright

Please note that this process does not replace the need for you to obtain the relevant professional permissions, waivers or release forms. You will need to ensure that you agree in advance who owns the copyright to the final film/photograph/voice-recording, and that all participants fully understand their rights with respect to the finished product. If you require information about copyright, please contact your Course Leader.

Further information and references

Norfolk County Council guidance on Children in Entertainment and Entertainment Licences

BBC Editorial Guidelines: Children and Young People as Contributor

The Children (Performances) Regulations 1968