165 children employed illegally
Inquiries by juvenile employment officers and education welfare officers found 20 children being employed illegally in Cornwall and 145 in Devon.
The discoveries were made after two officers made 120 visits to employers in Cornwall during July and August and 26 officers made 625 visits to employers in Devon.
They found that 263 children were being employed, 145 of them illegally. Sixty-five did not have permits and 80 were working contrary to hours allowed. Most of them were working in tourism-related employment including surf and gift shops. None of their employers has been prosecuted.
It is not clear what wages the children were earning as there is no legal minimum wage for them and therefore no need for employers to keep records.
Two applications to employ children in Cornwall in the construction industry were recently rejected as that is prohibited for youngsters – as is kitchen work.
Paul Kirkman, a spokesman for the National Network for Child Employment and Entertainment (NNCEE) which led the campaign, said councils were responsible for the welfare of children in their area.
He said: "Some local authorities do not give child employment the priority and resources that it deserves.
"For instance, for the whole of Cornwall there is only one part-time juvenile employment officer.
"A national campaign is needed to highlight the importance of complying with the legislation and further educate ill-informed employers and parents of the legal requirements to ensure all children are safe and protected when working."
Mr Kirkman said nearly 60 children in the UK were seriously injured or killed each year while working.
These include a school-aged pupil who was very seriously burnt working in a kitchen, and a boy who had the nerves and tendons in his hand severed when he slipped and fell while delivering milk.
Both were being employed illegally and without work permits and, therefore, were not covered by the employer's insurance.
As a result they did not receive compensation for their injuries.
As part of the hard-hitting NNCEE's Child Employment Week campaign, 174 officers visited 2,779 employers nationwide and found 950 children working.
Of these, 399 were being employed illegally without work permits, with 16 children working in prohibited occupations and 101 others working in excess of the hours allowed.
The campaign involved officers writing to and visiting employers, handing out leaflets and information packs, manning information stands in local shopping centres, issuing press releases and taking part in radio and TV interviews to help raise awareness of the regulations governing employment of school aged children.
Mr Kirkman said: "Officers found most of the employers were unaware of the legislation regarding the employment of school aged children and the legal requirement of a work permit.
"The work permit is one way in which the local authority can be aware of children being employed and, therefore, able to monitor the hours that they work and the occupation in which they are employed.
"All the employers were given advice and guidance on the regulations.
"We will be revisiting 343 of these employers in the near future to check they have acted on the advice they were given and have issued employment permits and cards."
Employers who do not comply can face a fine £1,000 per child.
Cornwall's Children's Services Authority assistant director Steve Colwill said: "We urge employers in Cornwall to seek advice from our child employment officer if they have any concerns or questions regarding the employment of children under the age of 16"
A Devon County Council spokesman said of employers caught employing children illegally: "We take illegal children employment very seriously.
"After a first warning, we write again to the employers warning them of the legal consequences they face. If they still don't comply then we will launch our own investigation and start court proceedings."
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