What is No Proof of Age – No Sale?
NPOANS is an interactive online toolkit aimed at all businesses and premises that sell age-restricted goods or services. The toolkit is run and maintained directly by Trading Standards South West with a dedicated group of experts that ensure the toolkit is kept up to date with any current and upcoming legislation that may affect your business.
What is in the toolkit and how does it work?
The toolkit is designed to give managers and staff an easy guide on how to implement an effective system to prevent the illegal sale of age-restricted goods and services to young people. The toolkit focuses primarily on the concept of Challenge 21/25 as this applies to all age-restricted products and premises, but also includes specific leaflets on Alcohol, Knives, Tobacco, Distance Selling, Fireworks, Games, Petroleum, UV Tanning, Tattooing, E-Cigarettes, Gambling & Lotteries, Animals/Pets, Sex Shops/Establishments, Skin Piercing, Takeaways, and Videos/DVDs. The toolkit has a learning management system – you can choose exactly what you want to teach your staff, so there is no wasted time. There is also automated, online testing and certificate generation.
Why is this important?
Using No Proof of Age – No Sale advice, and having a Challenge policy in your store, is important to make sure you operate your business in a lawful manner. If you sell age-restricted products to someone under the legal age and are caught doing this, you could be prosecuted. This can result in a monetary fine, you can lose your licence, or you can even receive a jail sentence.
Click here to visit the No Proof of Age No Sale website
If you would like more information please visit the No Proof of Age – No Sale website, by clicking the link above. Alternatively, you can email admin@proofofage.org.uk or call 01726 218768.
Local Authority Subscriptions
Several Local Authority Trading Standards areas are signed up for the LA subscription of the toolkit, which means that they subsidise the toolkit and offer it to small businesses and local chains in their area for free. We will notify you upon sign up if you are in one of these areas. These areas include: Bath & North East Somerset, Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole, Cornwall, Gloucestershire, Heart of the South West (which includes: Devon, Somerset, Torbay and Plymouth), North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.
Buy With Confidence – Trading Standards Approved, a business approval scheme run by Trading Standards also has a subscription to the toolkit and offers subsidised access to any of their members (under 10 stores) that sell age-restricted goods or services.
If you are interested in NPOANS as a Local Authority, please e-mail us at admin@proofofage.org.uk or you can call us on 01726 218768.