Obligations for parents and employers
Authority to work
Parent’s obligations
Employers obligations
Authority to work
A school-aged or young child must obtain parental consent before starting work. The Parent's Consent Form (PDF, 86 KB) specifies details such as the employer’s name and the hours the child is required to be at school.
If a school-aged child does not have a parent or if the child is living independently from his/her parent, the child can apply to the Director-General of the Department of Justice and Attorney General for a Application for Special Circumstances Certificate (PDF, 107 KB). This certificate authorises the child to work when not required to attend school.
An employer commits an offence if they require or permit a school-aged or young child to work unless they have a Parent’s Consent Form or a Special Circumstances Certificate.
An employer also commits an offence if they require or permit a school-aged or young child to perform work when the child is required to attend school as stated in the Parent’s Consent Form or Special Circumstances Certificate.
For more information about the Parent’s Consent Form and Special Circumstances Certificate, see the Child Employment Guide (PDF, 202 KB).
Parent’s obligations
If you are a parent:
- you must be present if it is your baby that is employed
- you must provide a Parent's Consent Form to your child's employer before employment can occur
- you must inform your child's employer if their school hours change. You must do this by filling out a new Parent's Consent Form and giving it to your child's employer within 14 days of the hours changing.
For more information about the Parent's Consent Form or the supervision of children whilst employed, see the Child Employment Guide (PDF, 202 KB).
Employers obligations
Due to the unique requirements of the entertainment industry some employer obligations have been developed to ensure appropriate protection is afforded children of school age or younger, including babies working in this industry.
The requirements include:
- Prohibition on inappropriate roles and situations
- Prohibition on nudity and sexually provocative clothing
- Restrictions on work performed by babies
- Employer’s duty about collection of child and travel home
- Employer’s duty to provide food and drink
- Employer’s duty to protect from extremes of climate
- Employer’s duty about facilities for dressing and undressing
- Employer’s duty to provide recreation materials and rest facilities
- Employer’s duty about unfitness for work and infectious disease
- Employer’s duty about presence of parent
- Employer’s duty to provide accommodation
- Employer’s duty to engage teacher
- Employer’s duty about ability to contact a parent
- Employer’s duty to safeguard children while they are at work
For more detail about the employer’s obligations, see the Child Employment Guide (PDF, 202 KB).
Last updated 21 July 2009
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