Consultation on child employment in England - launched 2nd November 2026

Consultation on child employment in England - launched 2nd November 2026

 

The Department for Education has launched a consultation on changes to the child employment statutory framework.

The consultation opened on 2 November 2026 and will run for six weeks, closing on 12 December 2026.

 

The changes use powers in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 (the Act). In Delivering the Children’s Social Care Reset (May 2026), we outlined an indicative timetable for consulting on the proposed regulations in England by the end of 2026.

 

The consultation seeks views on new regulations to replace local authority byelaws, strengthen safeguarding and support opportunities for children to undertake safe, appropriate work.

 

The consultation is aimed at:

• local authorities
• children and young people
• employers
• parents and carers of children and young people
• anyone interested in improving outcomes for children and young people

 

Consultation responses will inform the regulations, which we expect to come into force in early 2028.The link to the consultation is on GOV.UK Child employment regulatory framework - Department for Education - Citizen Space

 

For questions regarding the consultation, please contact ChildEmployment.CONSULTATION@education.gov.uk