Child employment

UK legislation states that children under the age of 13 are not permitted to be employed in any capacity by any person, including their parents or relatives.

There are restrictions on the type of work and the number of hours that children aged 13 and over may be employed to work.

See more information about child employment on GOV.UK.

How to apply to employ young people

The employer must obtain a young persons employment card/work permit.

The restrictions and the need for a permit apply until a young person reaches the end of compulsory school age. A young person is of compulsory school age until the last Friday in June in the school year in which they reach the age of 16. This has not changed following the introduction of the participation age, which requires young people to remain in education, training or employment until they reach 18.

Permits are issued by the local authority in which the employment is to take place, which may differ from the authority in which the child lives. To apply for a permit to employ a young person in Bracknell Forest, an application form should be completed and submitted to the Child Employment Officer within the first week of employment.