The London Borough of Newham has responsibility for enforcement of the child licensing requirements. To ensure the welfare of children and to check that the licensing conditions are being met, local authority officers may conduct unannounced inspections of venues/places in Newham (Section 28 Children and Young Persons Act 1933) where
- Rehearsals during the performance period are taking place;
- Performances or activities are taking place; or
- A child is receiving their education
The law gives local authorities the powers to amend or revoke existing licences, including those issued by any local authorities in Wales and education authorities in Scotland where the performance or activity to which the licence relates takes place within their area.
The safeguarding of our children and their education is our highest priority, these inspections are an integral part of our role to support this.
Inspections overview
The London Borough of Newham’s Children and Young People’s Services are authorised to conduct unannounced inspections at venues/places within borough boundaries, where children from Newham or other local authorities are performing, rehearsing or receiving out of school education.
The inspections are unannounced to ensure the person inspecting can view the true day to day situation, rather than it being an ‘organised visit’.
Important note: We cannot carry out inspections at venues outside of Newham, even if Newham resident children are participating. However the inspecting authority may invite an officer from Newham to accompany them on an inspection if they so wish and we can do the same.
