Staff from the County Council’s Education Welfare Service will join colleagues from across the South East for a campaign across the region with visits to employers and displays to raise awareness of the law amongst members of the public.
On Monday, 6 August the team will be giving out information in the Arndale Centre in Eastbourne and a similar event will be held at the Priory Meadow Shopping Centre in Hastings on Wednesday, 8 August.
During the same week 14 members of the Education Welfare Service will be making visits to employers across the county to make sure they are aware of the legislation regarding employing young people and to check for any illegal employment.
Cllr Rupert Simmons, the County Council’s Lead Cabinet Member for Learning and School Effectiveness said: “We are not trying to stop teenagers working. Young people obviously like to be able to earn a little bit of extra pocket money, but we’re trying to make sure that they are safe at work and that they are working within the law. It’s clearly very important that all our employers understand the law and keep to it.
“I’m sure that parents support our efforts to make sure that their children, if they work, are not exploited and would agree that it is vitally important to make sure that their school work and education doesn’t suffer.”
Child Employment Officers want to check where children are working, when, and what hours they are doing. They will follow up to check that Employment Cards have been issued and will investigate any infringements of the legislation.
Notes to editors
For more information on the law as laid out in the Children and Young Persons Act, including guides from the County Council for employers and for young people, visit our pages on child employment and the law.
The visits and displays in East Sussex will be part of a wider regional week-long campaign being mounted by the South East Region of the National Network for Children in Employment & Entertainment (NNCEE).
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