Children in part-time employment
We use the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 and Byelaws re-published in 1999 to monitor and regulate children in part time work.
Age
The regulations cover all children of compulsory school age who are employed in the borough of Walsall. The rules apply:
- until the last Friday in June in the school year the child become 16
- to all paid or unpaid work they do on behalf of a commercial business (including a parent's business)
No child may be employed under the age of 13.
Type of work
The kind of work which children can do is controlled by national and local regulations. All work must be light duties only and not interfere with the child's education.
13 year olds can only undertake part time employment in accordance with the Byelaws published in 1999.
Many kinds of work are prohibited to children. This includes work in:
- factories and other industrial undertakings
- the sale or delivery of alcohol
- betting and gaming
- the preparation of food in any commercial kitchen (chip shop, burger bar, cafe etc)
- collecting money or canvassing door to door
- work involving exposure to adult material
- telephone sales
- fairgrounds and amusement arcades
- personal care of residents in nursing homes etc
- street trading
This is not the full list. If there is any question of the work being illegal, dangerous or otherwise prohibited, further information may be requested before a work permit is issued.
Hours of work
No child may work before 7am or after 7pm on any day, including school holidays.
School days
A child may work a maximum of 2 hours. This can be either 2 hours after school, or 1 hour before school and 1 hour after the close of school, subject to the earliest start and finishing times defined above.
Saturdays and in school holidays
- children aged 13/14 can work up to 5 hours per day (maximum 25 per week)
- children aged 15/16 can work up to 8 hours per day (maximum 35 per week)
No child may work longer than 4 hours without having a break.
All children engaged in employment the whole year must have a 2-week consecutive break from that employment at either Easter or during the summer period when schools are closed.
Sundays
A child may only work a maximum of 2 hours between 7am and 7pm.
Children in entertainment
We have a duty to licence children from pre school to their compulsory leaving age to take part in:
- TV
- modelling
- theatre performances
- sporting activities
These activities are regulated and monitored. Permission to take part is granted under either a performance licence or exemption certificate.
An exemption to the performance regulations usually applies to schools or for performances that involve children who have not previously performed on four or more occasions prior to the commencement of a production.
Chaperones
When children or an individual child are involved in performance activities they should at all times be cared for by a licensed and approved chaperone.
A licensing authority must approve a person to be a chaperone to:
- have care and control of a child
- safeguard, support and promote the wellbeing of the child whilst the child is taking part in an activity, performance or rehearsal
A person wishing to be approved as a chaperone should apply to the local authority in which they reside.
Further information
Email us if you need information or guidance about child employment and children taking part in performances.
