Liverpool City Council - Child employment

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Child employment

The area of Child employment also falls within many other Acts and Regulations - Health and Safety, Factories Act 1061 and so forth.

Liverpool City Council is responsible for issuing Employment Permits.  It is dependent upon where the employment takes place and not where the employer's head office is or where the child lives.

If a child is working in another area, for instance, Sefton, Wirral, Knowsley etc., the employer needs to apply to the Local Authority for an employment permit.

Employment means

A child is employed if she / he assists in a trade or occupation which is carried on for profit - whether or not the child receives pay or reward for that employment.

Employment Permits are specific to:

  • the child
  • their employer
  • their place of work and the type and hours of work   

If a child has more than one employer or has more than one job, they will need a Permit for each.

Remember - unless a child is registered they may not be covered by the employer's liability insurance.

NOTE:  There are also specific regulations with regard to Children in Performances (theatres, TV, films and so forth).

Regulations of employment / guidance

  • Children are NOT allowed to work if they are 12 years or under
  • There are nine permitted types of employment for 13 year olds
  • There are certain jobs which children CAN and CANNOT do
    (see Permitted and Prohibited Work (MS Word [42.5Kb] opens in new window)) 
  • There are different working hours allowed for 13 / 14 year olds and 15/ 16 year olds
    (see  Hours of Work (MS Word [42.5Kb] opens in new window))
  • There are set one-hour 'rest periods'
  • There is only ONE school leaving date (last Friday in June each year).  This is referred to as the Compulsory School Leaving Age (CSLA) in the UK (Year 11). View compulsory school leaving dates table (MS Word [59.5Kb] opens in new window) 
  • All children from the age of 13 and CSLA can only be employed if they hold an Employment Permit issued by the Safeguarding / Child Licensing Unit     

An Employment Permit can be refused or revoked if the employment is likely to be harmful to the child's education, safety, health or development.

  • Within one week of employment EMPLOYERS must send the City Council written notification by way of an Employment Application Form and Health and Safety Risk Assessment
  • In some circumstances, the City Council may require the child to have a medical     

Applying for an employment permit

You must complete two forms:

When both form s have been fully completed they should be returned to:

Safeguarding / Child Licensing Team
Children's Services
Municipal Buildings
Dale Street
LIVERPOOL 
L2 2DH

Tel: 0151-225 6242
Fax: 0151-225 6220

What happens next?

Once processed we will send two permits - one for the child (which they need to keep as their confirmation) and one for the employer (for inspection by a Liverpool City Council Officer on request).