Employers will not be required to carry out expensive criminal record checks on workers responsible for supervising under-16s, the government has confirmed.
The proposal, part of the new Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act, could have resulted in hundreds of pounds in extra costs for retailers who employ under-16s for newspaper deliveries, or who offer work experience to youngsters.
Clarifying the terms, the government said that an employer who offered work to children under the age of 16 would commit an offence only if he or she knowingly employed another worker who was banned from instructing, training or teaching children.
Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) chief executive James Lowman said: "This is a great success and has avoided more unnecessary bureaucracy and costs for small businesses.
"Requiring checks for all staff would have potentially seen the end of young people under the age of 16 being employed."
The proposal, part of the new Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act, could have resulted in hundreds of pounds in extra costs for retailers who employ under-16s for newspaper deliveries, or who offer work experience to youngsters.
Clarifying the terms, the government said that an employer who offered work to children under the age of 16 would commit an offence only if he or she knowingly employed another worker who was banned from instructing, training or teaching children.
Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) chief executive James Lowman said: "This is a great success and has avoided more unnecessary bureaucracy and costs for small businesses.
"Requiring checks for all staff would have potentially seen the end of young people under the age of 16 being employed."
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