Child employment

If you want to employ a young person between 13 and 16 years old, you must apply for a work permit within 1 week of employing them.

We will only issue this if we’re satisfied the employment is lawful.

If you do not have permits to employ young people, your liability insurance may be invalid.

If you want to employ a child as a performer, see our Children in entertainment section.

Your responsibilities as an employer

You must make sure that:

• you carry out a risk assessment before the young person starts work and provide a copy to the parent or guardian
• you provide a kitchen plan if the young person will be working in a kitchen
• young people are safe at work and trained
• you work within our Employment of Children 1998 bylaw and the 1933 Children and Young Persons Act

Why we may withdraw a permit

We will withdraw a work permit if the young person’s:

• school attendance is affected
• not benefiting from their education because of their job
• undertaking illegal tasks
• health or welfare is likely to suffer

Apply

• complete our online form
• have the child's parent or guardian complete the parent declaration and email it to the Child Employment Team

If employment is kitchen based, you must include an extensive plan of the kitchen.

Once completed, your application will be automatically sent to the child's parent or guardian for approval.