Children and young people in employment 

Paid work and school age pupils  

• Laws and Regulations for Child Employment  

  This page features a list of the Laws and Regulations that affect child employment whether it is paid or unpaid.

  • The Children and Young Persons Act 1933 and 1963
  • The Education Act 1996
  • The Children Act 1989
  • The Employment of Women, Children and Young Persons Act 1920
  • The Agriculture (Health, Safety and Welfare Provision) Act 1956
  • The Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act 1963
  • The Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Act 1963
  • The Licensing Act 1964
  • The Licensing (Occasional Permissions) Act 1983
  • The Merchant Shipping Act 1970
  • The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
  • The Children (Performances) Regulations 1968

   

• Work children and young people can do  

  This page provides information about the work that young people, who are over 13, can do.

  Between the age of 13 and 14 children can do the following work, whether it is paid or unpaid:

  • Deliver newspapers
  • Shop work
  • Hairdressing
  • Office work
  • Washing cars (but not in a garage)
  • Waiting on tables in a café or restaurant
  • Work in a livery or riding stables
  • Work in kennels and catteries

  From the age of 14 until they leave compulsory education children can also do light work in the following areas:

  • Garden centres
  • Fruit picking (and some types of farm work)
  • Chambermaid work
  • Sweeping up

  Light work means that the type of work, and where it is done, does not threaten or affect the health, safety and education of the child.

   

• Work children and young people cannot do  

  This page provides information on work that children cannot do. Children under the age of 13 are not allowed to work.

  Here is the list of what work children cannot do whether paid or unpaid:

  • Deliver fuel oils
  • Work in commercial kitchens or chip shops
  • Street trading (including door to door selling)
  • Fairground and amusement arcade work
  • Pub and bar work
  • Building site work
  • Cleaning or operating machinery
  • Gambling or night club work
  • Work in a cinema, disco or dance hall
  • Theatre (except with Entertainment licensing)
  • Deliver milk
  • Collect or sort refuse
  • Sell alcohol (except in sealed containers)
  • Prepare meat or fish for sale
  • Any work connected to firearms
  • Personal care of residents in a residential or nursing home
  • Work more than 3 metres above floor level
  • Work that involves exposure to physical, biological or chemical agents

   

• Places where children and young people cannot work  

  This page tells you about the places where children are not allowed to work.

  Here is a list of places where children cannot work whether paid or unpaid:

  • Commercial kitchen
  • Chip shop
  • Fairground
  • Amusement arcade
  • Pub or bar
  • Building site
  • Gambling club
  • Cinema
  • Theatre (except with Entertainment licensing)
  • Disco or dance hall
  • More than 3 metres above floor level
  • Billiard, snooker or pool hall
  • Warehouse
  • Factory
  • Slaughterhouse
  • Butcher's shop

   

• Permitted hours of Work  

  Children are not allowed to work before 7am or after 7pm whether they are paid or unpaid.

  Children of compulsory school age are not allowed to work during school time unless it is work experience arranged by the school.

  From the age of 13-15:

  • School days - not more than 2 hours outside of school hours
  • Saturdays - 5 hours
  • Sundays - 2 hours
  • School holidays - 5 hours a day to a maximum of 25 hours a week

  From the age of 15 until the child finishes compulsory education

  • School days - not more than 2 hours outside of school hours
  • Saturdays - 8 hours
  • Sundays - 2 hours
  • School holidays - 8 hours a day to a maximum of 35 hours a week

  Employers must provide suitable and set times for rest.

  Children are not allowed to work for more than 4 hours without a 1 hour break.

  There must be at least 2 weeks, taken together, when the child must not work.