England consults on national child employment rules to replace local byelaws
The Department for Education opened its child employment consultation on 2 November 2026, with responses due by 13 December. The proposed national regulations and guidance would replace local authority byelaws in England, but employers must continue following the existing framework until…
The Department for Education opened a consultation on 2 November 2026 on a new regulatory framework for the employment of children of compulsory school age in England. Responses are invited until 13 December 2026. The exercise concerns national regulations and statutory guidance intended to replace the present system of local authority child employment byelaws.
This is a consultation, not the commencement of replacement employment rules. Businesses, parents and local authorities should not treat its publication as permission to depart from existing restrictions or permit requirements. The distinction matters particularly for employers planning school holiday recruitment or changing the duties of children who already work for them.
Why the Government is proposing a national framework
The Department describes the current local byelaw system as inconsistent and outdated. Its consultation document says most current byelaws are based on model provisions issued by the Department of Health in 1998, with local adaptations. A business operating in several council areas may therefore encounter different local requirements when organising otherwise comparable work.
National rules could make those requirements easier to identify and apply. However, consistency is not the same as deregulation. The Department presents the proposals as combining opportunities for children to undertake suitable work with stronger safeguarding and clearer expectations. Whether a particular activity becomes easier or more restricted will depend on the final regulations, not simply on the replacement of local byelaws.