April is Child Employment Month, which aims to increase awareness of the law and ensure more young people are working safely and legally.
Many young people benefit from part-time working, and Child Employment laws exist to safeguard the education, health and welfare of compulsory school age employees. There are concerns that a lack of awareness and understanding of the law is leaving young people vulnerable to exploitation and injury.
This year, the National Network for Child Employment and Entertainment (NNCEE) is reminding businesses that employ children aged between 13 and 16 years old that they need permits to comply with employment laws. These permits are free of charge from the local council where the young person works. Permits for children working for Warwickshire employers can be found here.
Under byelaws regulating the Employment of Children and Street Trading by persons aged under 18 years old, introduced over 50 years ago, teenagers aged between 13 and 16 years old can take part in various types of light work. No child aged below 13 is allowed to work in England unless it relates to entertainment and performance projects.
Popular jobs for young people include paper rounds, shop work, waiting tables, washing up and hairdressing work. However, there are jobs which are prohibited for young people of compulsory school age, including working in a kitchen, garage or factory, on a building site, unsupervised sale of alcohol and telephone sales.
There are also strict regulations regarding hours of work – no child may be employed before 7.00 am or after 7.00 pm on any day. No child may work for more than 4 hours without a break of at least 1 hour and no child can work for more than 2 hours on a Sunday between the hours of 7.00 am and 7.00 pm. During term time, no child can be employed for more than 12 hours per week and there are also other guidelines for the number of weekends and hours during holiday times that children can work.
Young people of compulsory school age are not entitled to the National Minimum Wage and it is therefore important they are paid fairly.
Employers must ensure that they have carried out all obligations in law and also are aware of any risks and other necessary safety procedures before they employ a child. Any contravention of any Statute Law or Regulation governing the employment of school aged children (and there are over 200 such laws or Regulations) could invalidate the insurance policies the employer may have. Children working without a permit may not be covered by any form of insurance, regardless of the policies that the employer has in force. Employers who breach this legislation are risking the safety of young people and can face fines of up to £1000.
Employers who breach the regulations can be prosecuted and fined. A list of these regulations can be found on the NNCEE website.
Brenda Finn, a Child Employment and Children Entertainment Officer for Warwickshire County Council, said:
“Getting experience of the working world can be a valuable learning opportunity for young people, however it is essential that the laws surrounding their employment are followed to ensure they are not exploited. If you are employing children between the ages of 13-16, make sure you have a permit and are aware of the regulations regarding their working hours and acceptable duties.”
You can download a leaflet about child employment here.
For further information please contact childemployment@warwickshire.gov.uk, or visit the WCC Child Employment webpages or NNCEE website.