Child employment permit

Requirements for a Work Permit

Employers must apply for a London Borough of Croydon Child Work Permit within one week of a school age child starting paid or voluntary employment in Croydon. School age is 13 to statutory school leaving age.

Working hours

No child can work before 7:00 AM or after 7:00 PM.

Ages 13 to 14

The minimum working age is 13, children under 13 cannot work. 

Children of age 13 to 14 have to abide by the boroughs bye laws: young people employment permits byelaws.

A maximum 2 hours on school days or Sundays; maximum 5 hours on Saturdays; up to 12 hours total per week during term time. During school holidays, max 5 hours daily and 25 hours weekly.

 Ages 15 to 16

During school holidays, a maximum of  8 hours daily, Monday to Saturday, and 35 hours in total  weekly.

Breaks

A mandatory one-hour break must be taken after four hours of continuous work.

Annual Holiday

Children are entitled to two weeks of annual holiday, to be taken during school breaks.

Prohibited Work

Children cannot work in:

• commercial kitchens
• gambling venues
• nightclubs
• near heights over 3 meters
• selling alcohol or tobacco

Application Process

Employers must submit the application to child.employment@croydon.gov.uk  within one week of employment. 

All applications require the following documents: 

• completed application form
• workplace risk assessment
• child protection policy
• colour passport size headshot photo
• copy of the child's birth certificate or passport

We do not make a charge for issuing a work permit.

Working without a permit can result in fines up to £1,000 for employers

The Application Form

Download the application form:

Child Work Permit application form (Word, 50KB)
 

There are 3 sections and each section must be completed in full, if hand written please ensure that hand writing is clear to read, the document is in word format so can be completed on a computer.

Section A

To be completed by the Employer, who also needs to submit the CP and RA documents with the application. We would normally expect this all to be sent to us by the Employer not parent or school.
Please ensure that the days and time are completed in full.

Section B

To be completed by the parent or guardian.

Section C

To be completed by the Head teacher or Head of Year.

Each section must be signed and the names clearly displayed along with email address of Employer and Parent.
 

Please complete the Application for a Child Employment form and return to child.employment@croydon.gov.uk with all supporting documents.

Your Child Protection Policy should include the following elements and how your company aim to promote good practice:

• prevention
• definitions of child abuse and neglect
• procedures for identifying and reporting cases or suspected cases
• it should also be signed, dated within the last 12 months and a review date along with the named DSL and their contact details.

Your Risk Assessment should:

• be an up-to-date Assessment, not a previously used one as risks can change
• it should be signed and dated
• be for the venue the event will take place in and if multiple venues one for each venue
• not be generic and should show the date the Risk Assessment took place, with the address and date of the event. 

Guidance

A Guide to Child Employment Legislation and Practice (PDF, 474KB)