Employing children

COVID guidance

Existing Licences Active

From Wednesday 27 January, licences for employment that have already been issued and remain valid can be used to allow children and young people to work. Current partial school closures do not in any way alter the terms of the licence or the working hours permissible.

New Licence Applications

We continue to accept new requests for employment and performance licences accompanied by a COVID risk assessment and medical declaration . These can be found in the application section by clicking the Apply Now button below for employment licences only or email ess@somerset.gov.uk for performance licences.

The Employer’s Responsibilities

All employers or licence holders are responsible for ensuring any work undertaken within the remit of issued licences is safe and falls within the Government’s most up-to-date legislation and guidance relating to essential working.

It is also the responsibility to ensure that any work carried out is done so in a manner that is COVID-safe. This includes the provision of any equipment required, such as face coverings, gloves and hand-washing facilities.

Review of Licences

The Local Authority will continue to review and monitor the issuing and activation of licences through the COVID pandemic to ensure our children and young people are protected while also maximising their opportunities to work and lead their normal lives.

Guidance for employers – Applying for new child employment permits during COVID restrictions

As a local authority, our duty is to ensure that children are not undertaking employment tasks that may be harmful to their health, safety and welfare.

Any new requests must be accompanied by the following:

COVID risk assessment
Signed medical declaration

Both of these documents are available as part of the application process, which you can access by clicking Apply Now, below.

Requests will not be considered if documents are incomplete or unsigned. This means we can process any requests for permits as quickly as possible. We will email you the outcome after we have received the required documents. No child should work until the permit has been agreed by the local authority.

Please ensure that any scanned health declarations and risk assessments do not exceed 1mb in size each, otherwise they will not be received and your application will not be processed

Introduction

By law all employers must apply for a licence from the Local Authority if they wish to employ any children or young people of statutory school age (age 13 to statutory school leaving age). For further details, please read the section titled ‘The employers responsibility’.

If you have any questions about work permits, please contact us at childrens@somerset.gov.uk

If you have any concerns that a child might be working illegally, please contact the Education Safeguarding Service at ess@somerset.gov.uk

The employer's responsibility

An employer is responsible for discussing the application with the child’s parent or guardian, and for getting the licence.

The parent or guardian must agree before the employer can complete the application process.

Please only fill in the form when the child has been offered employment.

You can find regulations around ‘Employing children in Somerset’ in the downloads section of this page – Somerset byelaws for the employment of children.

Please email any questions about work permits to childrens@somerset.gov.uk

Please note – In term-time or school holidays, no child is allowed work before 7am or after 7pm.

Apply now

Child performance licences

Children must be licensed by their local authority if they

perform on stage
perform in television, film, commercial or modelling work,
take part in paid or professional sport

and

they are paid, or
they need to be absent from school, or
they will perform for more than four days in any six-month period

Organisations which plan to use children in performance, sport or modelling should apply for a licence at least 21 days before the first rehearsal or performance. People who want to apply for a chaperone licence should apply 8 weeks in advance. The application forms are in the Downloads section of this page.

Part 1 of the form should be completed by the producer of the performance
Part 2 of the form should be completed by the parent of each child involved in the performance.
Part 3 of the form should be completed by the teacher if school time will be missed because of the performance (including rehearsals)

See our Chaperones page for more information.

Any enquiries about children in entertainment should be directed to the Education Safeguarding Service ess@somerset.gov.uk