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Advice for parents and carers of young people on work experience

Parents and carers have no responsibilities under health and safety law. The employer is responsible for workplace health and safety.

But you may want to make sure work experience organisers (usually your child’s school or college) knows about any medical or behavioural conditions, which might affect your child while on placement. They can then tell the organiser or placement provider (employer), who do have duties in law, about it.

Employers should tell parents and carers if there are any significant workplace risks to a child and how they control them. They can tell you about this in whatever way is easiest, including a quick chat.

There are very few work activities that a student cannot do because of health and safety law and you can find out more about this[1].

If you, as parent or carer, are organising, or helping to organise, a work experience placement directly, our guidance on work experience[2] may be useful.

Link URLs in this page

  1. you can find out more about thishttps://www.hse.gov.uk/young-workers/employer/law.htm
  2. our guidance on work experiencehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/young-workers/employer/work-experience.htm
  3. Health and safety for gig economy, agency and temporary workershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/vulnerable-workers/gig-agency-temporary-workers/employer/index.htm
  4. Managing risks and risk assessment at workhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/index.htm
  5. 16 to 19 study programmes: guide for providers - GOV.UKhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/16-to-19-study-programmes-guide-for-providers
  6. Become an apprentice – GOV.UKhttps://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide
  7. School leaving age - GOV.UKhttps://www.gov.uk/know-when-you-can-leave-school

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