Work permits for child employment
Permits are issued in order to ensure the suitability of the workplace and proposed hours of work for a young person. They are specific to the individual job.
Age restrictions
You must apply for a work permit if you wish to employ a young person aged 13 to 16. Children under 13 are not permitted to work.
A young person may only work part-time and out of school hours (unless on work experience organised by the school).
Permits and the law
A permit must be applied for during the first week of the child's employment. Failure to do so means the young person will not be covered under the employer's liability insurance.
It is an offence to:
- Employ a child without a work permit
- Infringe any of the employment by-laws
Checks may be made at any time without notice to ensure that young people with jobs are employed within the Child Employment Regulations and action can be taken against anyone found to be in contravention of these.
Permitted hours
Young people may not work before 7am or after 7pm on any day.
Term time
Young people are permitted to work a maximum of 12 hours in any 7 day week.
They can work a maximum 2 hours on any school day comprising either:
- 1 hour after 7am and beginning of school day plus 1 hour after the end of the school day and before 7pm
- 2 hours after the end of the school day and before 7pm
Weekends
Permitted hours during weekends:
- 13 and 14 years: Saturday maximum 5 hours (1 hour break after 4 hours continuous work). Sunday maximum 2 hours
- 15 up to 16 years: Saturday maximum 8 hours (1 hour break after 4 hours continuous work). Sunday maximum 2 hours
Holidays
Permitted hours during holidays:
- 13 and 14 years: Maximum 25 hours per 7-day week (5 hours in any one day). Sunday maximum 2 hours
- 15 up to 16 years: Maximum 35 hours per 7-day week (8 hours in any one day). Sunday maximum 2 hours
Types of work
There are restrictions on the type of work that young people can do.
No young person may be employed:
- In a cinema, theatre, music and dance venue, except in connection with a performance given entirely by young people (this does not prevent young people from taking part in performances under the provision of a licence granted in accordance with the Children and Young Persons Act 1963, and the associated regulations)
- To sell or deliver alcohol, except in sealed containers
- To deliver milk, or fuel oils
- In a commercial kitchen
- To collect or sort refuse
- In any work which is more than three metres above ground level or, in the case of internal work, more than three metres above floor level
- In employment involving harmful exposure to physical, biological or chemical agents
- To collect money or to sell or canvass door to door, except under the supervision of an adult
- In work involving exposure to adult material or in situations which are for this reason otherwise unsuitable for minors
- In telephone sales
- In any slaughterhouse or in that part of any butcher’s shop or other premises connected with the killing of livestock, butchery, or the preparation of carcasses or meat for sale
- As an attendant or assistant in a fairground or amusement arcade or in any other premises used for the purpose of public amusement by means of automatic machines, games of chance or skill or similar devices
- In the personal care of residents of any residential care home or nursing home unless under the supervision of a responsible adult
Other restrictions
Even if a young person’s employment complies with the appropriate regulations, there are other grounds on which the young person can be prohibited from working.
These include if the work:
- Prevents the young person from obtaining proper benefit from their education
- Is likely to be harmful to the safety, health or development of the young person
Health and safety
It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of all employees. An employer must provide, free of charge, any protective clothing and equipment required by law. Firms with five or more employees must also draw up a health and safety policy.
It is an employee’s responsibility to care for their own health and safety and to co-operate with the company to allow it to carry out its own responsibilities successfully and not to interfere with, or misuse, equipment, materials or facilities provided in the context of health, safety or welfare.
Issues with employment
If at any time a young person's school feel that their employment is having a negative impact on the young person's education, they should inform the Education Welfare Service and we will consider whether the permit should be revoked.
If you know of a child working:
- Who is under 13
- Without a permit
- In unsuitable conditions
You should immediately report this to the Education Welfare Service.
Making an application
The application for a permit is made to the local authority in which the child will be working
The employer is then issued with a licence and the employee is provided with a permit card which they must carry with them at all times while working.
Download Wandsworth's work permit application form.
This form has three sections to be filled out by the:
- Prospective employer
- Child's parent
- Child's school
You also need to attach a recent passport photograph of the child.
Contact
For advice and support, contact Education Welfare:
- Email: childworkpermits@wandsworth.gov.uk
- Telephone: 020 8871 8306
For further information about child employment: