Child employment regulatory framework

The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 made changes to the legal framework governing the employment of children of compulsory school age in England.

These changes included amendments to permitted working hours and replacing the power of local authorities to make child employment byelaws with a national regulatory framework.

They also included a statutory requirement for a child employment permit. The changes will give children more opportunities to take up suitable employment while strengthening the approach overall and maintaining many of the current safeguards.

The changes ensure a greater emphasis on safeguarding and clearer, more consistent expectations across England, to support children to engage in safe, appropriate work. The changes are, subject to Parliamentary time, expected to come into force, alongside regulations, in early 2028.

Most current local authority child employment byelaws are based on model byelaws issued by the Department for Health in 1998, with some local adaptations. Once in force, the new regulatory framework will ultimately replace these local authority byelaws. This consultation seeks views to inform the new regulatory framework for child employment. Responses will also inform what might be covered in any supporting guidance. Unless otherwise stated, all references to local authority byelaws in this document are to byelaws issued under section 18 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933.