Licensing

Child Employment - Work Permits

The Law and Child Employment
A young person is employed if s/he assists in any trade or occupation carried out for profit whether or not the young person receives pay or reward. The regulations also apply to parents employing their own children in the family business.

Regulations
No child under 13 may be employed.
Young people may only do light work.
The permitted hours are different for young people under 15 from those over 15.
Rest periods are required.

HOURS OF WORK Children may not work before 7.00 am or after 7.00 pm on any day.

No child may work for more than 2 hours on any school day (with not more than 1 hour before school).

AGES 13 and 14 Term Time
Maximum 12 hours per week

Saturday and School Holidays
Maximum 25 hours per week when not required to attend school,
Maximum 5 hours on any day.

Sundays
Maximum 2 hours.

AGES 15 and 16 Term Time
Maximum 12 hours per week

Saturday and School Holidays
Maximum 35 hours per week when not required to attend school,

Maximum 8 hours on any day.

Sundays
Maximum 2 hours.

REST BREAKS
There must be a break of at least 1 hour after 4 hours work.

SCHOOL HOLIDAY EMPLOYMENT
In a year there must be at least two consecutive weeks free from school and from employment.

The employer must ensure that the health and safety of a young employee are protected by carrying out a risk assessment to satisfy the Health and Safety (Young Persons) Regulations 1997/99.

Young people are of compulsory school age until the last Friday of June of the school year (1st September to 31st August) in which they have their 16th birthday.

Young people of compulsory school age can only be employed in Milton Keynes if they have been issued with a work permit by Milton Keynes Children and Families Service.

A work permit can be refused if the employment is considered to be or likely to be harmful to the education, health or physical development of the young person.

In addition the work permit can be refused or withdrawn if the young person does not attend school regularly, either whilst applying for a work permit, or at any such time their school attendance should become unsatisfactory.

Applying for a Work Permit

APPLY FOR A CHILD WORK PERMIT

Prohibited Employment
No child of statutory school age may be employed, for reward or no reward:

to deliver milk
to deliver fuel oils
in a commercial kitchen
in a slaughterhouse or any part of a butcher's shop
in any work higher than 3 metres above the ground or floor level
to collect or sort refuse
to collect money or to sell or canvass door to door
in employment involving harmful exposure to physical, biological or chemical agents
in any work involving exposure to adult material or situations unsuitable for children
in telephone sales
in a cinema, theatre, dance hall or night club, except in connection with a performance given by children, for which a licence has been granted
on garage premises or selling petrol
in a bar or licensed premises during opening hours
in a licensed betting office
at any machine prescribed as dangerous