Body of Persons Approval (BOPA)

A BOPA can be issued for an organisation (known as a ‘body of persons’ for these purposes) for a specific performance or for a limited period of time as set out in the approval, to put on performances involving children.

The granting of a BOPA to an organisation replaces the need to apply for individual licences from each child’s home local authority during the period of approval – as long as the BOPA criteria and conditions continue to be fulfilled.  The issuing of a BOPA in place of an individual performance licence does not mean there is any reduction in the principles of safeguarding the child, they are the same for individual licences as well as BOPAs.

A BOPA is not:

• Transferable to another organisation or to individual children taking part in a performance arranged by someone else. 
• A "group licence" nor is it an exemption under the 4 day rule.

Where a performance is taking place under the auspices of a BOPA, the legislation does not require that the child be supervised by a chaperone approved by the local authority.

Note: The application for a BOPA does not automatically mean the child ‘authorised’ to be absent from school, this is their school’s decision.