Apply for a work permit to employ a child

Children are allowed to work part time from the age of 13. Child employment laws apply to them until the last Friday in June during the year they turn 16 years old.

A child is employed when they help in a profit-making trade or business, whether or not they are paid for the work. This includes children working for their family’s business.

As an employer you must apply for a work permit within 7 days of the child starting work with you.

Children under 13 years old can work or take part in entertainment such as theatre, television, paid sporting activities or modelling, but they will need a performance licence.

If you want to employ a child in Birmingham

To employ a child in Birmingham you must:

• apply to the council for a work permit for each child you want to employ
• re-register the children in your employment twice a year (we will send you a reminder)
• follow the law on working hours for children and local bylaws set by the council on the types of work that children can and can’t be employed to do
• carry out a risk assessment which takes into account the child’s age and maturity
• tell the child’s parents about any risks and measures put in place to protect children from these
• get a signed and stamped declaration from the child’s school

If you fail to follow these rules:

• you are breaking the law and we may take legal action against you
• you risk not being insured against accidents involving the child, and as the employer may be personally responsible for any compensation claim if the child is injured at work
• we will cancel your permit and stop the child from working if the child’s health, school attendance or school work suffers because of their work with you

How to apply

You should apply for a licence with the local authority where the child will be working. This may be a different authority to where they live. If you are unsure, you can find a local authority.

Make sure that you have read and fully understood the statutory requirements for the licence you are applying. Failure to comply may lead to the licence being revoked and possible prosecution.

Apply for a work permit to employ a child

After you have applied

You will receive a confirmation email containing your unique reference ID. You can use this reference ID to [track the progress of your application].

If your application is approved

We will send you (the employer) the original copy of the licence.

We will also send copies to:

• the child’s school, if the child will be absent from school
• the parent, if applicable
• the chaperone, if applicable

Complaints

If you wish to report an issue or make a complaint, visit our complaints page. If you make a formal complaint we will acknowledge your complaint and contact you about it within 15 working days.