Child employment - application procedure

Before employing a child the employer must send written notification to the local authority using an employment permit application form.

Part 1 - employer completes, signs and dates the Child employment application form (Word doc) [34KB].
Part 2 - parent/carer checks information to be correct, signs and dates the form.
Completed form is returned to child.employment@swansea.gov.uk.
On receipt of the completed form, the local authority has a duty to satisfy itself that the employment is lawful and that the child's health, welfare and ability to take full advantage of his/her education will not be jeopardised. In addition, the authority is assured that the child is fit to undertake the work for which he/she is to be employed. A permit will then be sent to the employer with an identification photo card sent to the child.
The child must be able to produce the identification card during employment for inspection.
The permit will state the details from the employment application form. The child may only be employed in accordance with these details, should these details need to be changed please contact the child.employment@swansea.gov.uk for amendment.
The local authority may also at any time revoke a child's employment permit if it believes that the child is being unlawfully employed or that his/her health, welfare or ability to take full advantage of his/her education has suffered or is likely to suffer as a result of being employed.

The law says

Until the young person reaches school leaving age, the following rules apply if they work
	13 and 14 year olds
They can work on	During the following hours
School days	Not more than a total of two hours in one day during the following periods: In the morning for one hour between 7.00am and the start of school. In the evening between close of school and 7.00pm (maximum of 12 hours per week).
Saturdays	5 hours a day between 7.00am and 7.00pm
Sundays	Only 2 hours between 7.00am and 7.00pm
School holidays	5 hours a day on any week day (except Sundays) between 7.00am and 7.00pm. Total work hours weekly must not exceed 25 hours. During the year, in one school holiday period, they must have two consecutive weeks break when they do not work at all.

Until the young person reaches school leaving age, the following rules apply if they work
	15 and 16 year olds
They can work on	During the following hours
School days	Not more than a total of two hours in one day during the following periods: In the morning for one hour between 7.00am and the start of school. In the evening between close of school and 7.00pm (maximum of 12 hours per week).
Saturdays	8 hours a day between 7.00am and 7.00pm
Sundays	Only 2 hours between 7.00am and 7.00pm
School holidays	8 hours a day on any week day (except Sundays) between 7.00am and 7.00pm. Total work hours weekly must not exceed 35 hours. During the year, in one school holiday period, they must have two consecutive weeks break when they do not work at all.

Permitted employment of children age 13 only

A child aged 13 may not be employed except in 'light work' in one or more of the following:

agricultural or horticultural work
delivery of newspapers
journals and other printed material
shop work including shelf stacking
hairdressing salon
office work
car washing by hand in a private residential setting
a cafe or restaurant
riding stables
domestic work in hotels and other establishments offering accommodation

Prohibited employment - all children

No child of any age may be employed in the following:

a cinema
theatre
disco
dance hall or nightclub, except in connection with a performance given entirely by children
to sell or deliver alcohol
to deliver milk
to deliver fuel oils
in a commercial kitchen
to collect or sort refuse in any work which is more than three meters above ground level or, in the case of internal work more than three meters above floor level
in employment involving harmful exposure to physical, biological or chemical agents
to collect money or to sell/canvas 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 slaughter house or in that part of any butchers shop or any premises connected with the killing of livestock, butchery, or the preparation of carcases 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 in any residential care home or nursing home unless under the supervision of a responsible adult

Definitions

Employment - means 'assistance in any trade or occupation which is carried on for profit whether or not payment is received for that assistance'.

Light work - means work which is not likely to be harmful to the child's health safety or educational development.

Child - for the purpose of the Byelaws the expression 'child' means a person who is of compulsory school age.

Compulsory school leaving age - there is only one school leaving date, and that is the last Friday of June of their final GCSE year (year 11). This applies to children who have their sixteenth birthday during that period. This is the only date when children stop being of compulsory school age.

Risk assessments - the employer has a lawful duty to undertake an appropriate risk assessment which takes into account the child's age, work environment, experience and ability (Management of Health and Safety at Work Act 1999).

The authority may require the child to be medically examined before issuing a child employment permit.