Child Employment & Work Permits

Child Employment Permits

Employers are required by law to register any children who work for them (whether paid or unpaid).

The employer must complete an application form, which are available on request from childemployment@wokingham.gov.uk The parent/carer of the child and the child's school must also sign. The employer will then send it to the child employment officer.

An employer can be prosecuted for employing a child illegally. In addition, the insurance which the employer must have for his employees may not be valid.

The employment of children are described by the

Children and Young Persons Acts 1933 and 1963, the Children (Protection at Work) Regulations 1998 and Wokingham Borough Council Byelaws on the Employment of Children 1998.

These laws are to protect the health, safety, well-being and education of children.

At what age can children work?

Children may do light work from the age of 13 years until they are no longer of compulsory school age. A young person is of compulsory school age until the last Friday in June in the school year in which they reach the age of sixteen years.

Light work means work which is not likely to be harmful to the safety, health or development of children and is not harmful to their attendance at school or participation in work experience.

List of Prohibited Employment

No child of any age may be employed:

In a cinema, theatre, discotheque, dance hall or night club (except in connection with a performance given entirely by children or under the terms and conditions of a performance licence)

To sell or deliver alcohol, except in sealed containers

To deliver milk

To deliver fuel oils

In a commercial kitchen

To collect or sort refuse

In any work which is more than 3 metres above ground or internal floor level

In employment involving harmful exposure to physical, biological or chemical agents

To collect money or to sell or canvass door to door

In work involving exposure to adult material or in situations which are for this reason otherwise unsuitable for children

In telephone sales

In any slaughterhouse or in any part of a butcher's shop or other premises connected with the killing of livestock, butchery, or the preparation of 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

Other legislation prohibits children's employment e.g. in industrial undertaking and street trading

Permitted hours of work

Employment may only take place between 7am and 7pm.

Hours of work for children aged 13 and 14 years

2 hours on Sundays

2 hours on school days (either one hour before and one hour after school, or two hours after school)

5 hours on Saturdays

Maximum 12 hours per week during term time

5 hours daily during school holidays but not to exceed 25 hours per week

Hours of work for children aged 15 years until they are no longer of compulsory school age

A young person is of compulsory school age until the last Friday in June, in the school year in which they reach the age of 16 years.

2 hours on Sundays

2 hours on school days (either one hour before and one hour after school, or two hours after school)

8 hours on Saturdays

Maximum 12 hours per week during term time

Eight hours daily during school holidays but not to exceed 35 hours per week

Any child employed must have a rest break of not less than one hour following four hours of continuous employment and during the year have at least two consecutive weeks in the school holidays which are free from work.

This information is only a general guide.Employers and parents must consult the relevant guidance for assistance with specific queries.

Government Guidance Child employment: Local council rules for child employment permits - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Request an Application Form

Please request an application form by emailing the child employment officer at
childemployment@wokingham.gov.uk

To avoid unnecessary delays in processing, please email completed applications to the child employment office in preference to posting applications.

If you wish to email documents password protected, please ensure that you forward the password to us in a separate email.

Ceasing Employment

When an employment position terminates the employer should notify us by emailing us at childemployment@wokingham.gov.uk.