Key takeaways
Standardised national framework replaces local employment rules
Act removes local variation, creating consistent child employment standards nationwide.
Strict limits on hours, age, and work conditions
Under-14s banned (save in limited circumstances); light work only with capped daily, weekly hours.
Mandatory permits and detailed regulations to follow
Employers must obtain permits; regulations will specify tasks, hours, breaks.
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, which received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026, is set to revise the rules regarding employment of children in the future (specific implementation date TBC). The general intention behind the changes is to remove local variations and have a consistent standard for child employment.
In relation to the employment of children in England and Wales, once brought into force, the Act will revise s18 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933. The revised s18 specifies that a child (ie someone not over the compulsory school age) cannot be employed to work in the following circumstances:
while they are under the age of 14 (although regulations may permit 13-year-olds to do specified forms of work)
to do any work other than ’light work’ (meaning work which, on account of the inherent nature of the tasks which it involves, and the particular conditions under which they are performed, is not likely to be harmful to the safety, health or development of the child, is not harmful to their education (through attendance at school or otherwise) or to their participation in work experience, or their capacity to benefit from the education received/experience gained)
to do work of a description specified in regulations
to work before 7.00 a.m. or after 8.00 p.m. on any day
to work on any day on which the child is required to attend school:
for more than one hour before the start of school hours
during school hours or
for more than two hours in total in the day
to work for more than 12 hours in any week in which the child is required to attend school
to work for more than eight hours (or for more than five hours if the child is under 15) in any day on which the child is not required to attend school
to work for more than 35 hours (or for more than 25 hours if the child is under 15) in any week in which the child is not required to attend school
to work for more than four hours in any day without a break of one hour
to work at any time in a year unless at that time the employer is satisfied that the child has had, or could still have, a period of at least two consecutive weeks without employment during a period in the year in which the child is not required to attend school (note that a ‘year’ runs from 1 January to 31 December, rather than being tied to the school year).
To employ a child to work within the above rules, the employer will be required to firstly secure a ’child employment permit’ from the relevant local authority. Regulations will in due course make provisions for these permits, including the application process (and when an application will not be required) and can also make provision about the keeping of records.
Regulations can also make provisions:
permitting 13-year-olds to undertake specified forms of light work
specifying the number of hours in each day, or in each week, for which a child may be employed
specifying the times of day at which a child may be employed
specifying the intervals to be allowed to an employed child for meals and breaks
about entitlement to leave for an employed child and
specifying other conditions to be met in relation to the employment of children.
‘Mirror’ provisions will apply in Scotland.
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