Child chaperones play a legally required safeguarding role for under-16s on UK film and television sets, prioritising a child’s welfare over a production’s schedule or commercial pressures. The article highlights their authority to halt filming when a young performer is distressed, while arguing that this essential work is often poorly recognised despite its lasting importance.

Linda Matthews, who founded Premier Chaperones after leaving banking, recalls stopping a scene in *In Extremis* when a child actor became upset by a cancer-patient role. Chaperones are subject to enhanced DBS checks and local-authority licensing, and must enforce rules on rest, food, safety and working conditions; breaches can bring fines of up to £1,000 per offence and, in serious cases, up to six months’ imprisonment. The safeguards reflect historic and continuing concerns about exploitation of child performers, including Judy Garland’s treatment by MGM and later allegations connected with Franco Zeffirelli’s *Romeo and Juliet*.