Work Laws For Children Visiting The Uk.

[Oiverbotel]

I'm approaching this somewhat delicately, only because I don't wish to cause any negative opinions regarding a specific charity. But I'd be most grateful for some guidance.

I volunteer a day a week at one of the High Street shops of a national charity. When I first began I think I had different views of how my meagre contribution of volunteer time might benefit. It has been an eye-opening experience! The place is a mess. it's all about generating money and pushing some of the fragile souls who are there to do far more than their capability.

A few weeks ago I arrived on my designated day to discover there was a child - a sixteen-year-old-girl from France, who was there as a "placement" from an International student scheme.

She's incapable of speaking a complete sentence in English and to my horror, the 'manager' told me how frustrated she was with the child as during the previous four days she had been there, she hadn't done a thing and it was impossible to communicate with her. The manager told me that I would need to speak with her "in French" to explain what she should be doing.

You can't imagine the look of relief on the poor girl's face when I introduced myself in French and said "Je pense que vous avez eu du mal avec cette dame. Oui?." ( I think you've had a difficult time with this lady? Yes?). The poor girl launched into a diatribe that was hard for me to keep up with.

To my sadness, for the four days she had been working there, the manager had her upstairs in an unheated, windowless, room, sorting through bags of donated 'things' (often little more than soiled knickers and bacterial suspicious toys that no one would wish upon a child regardless of how poor they may be.)

But more shocking to me was that the girl said she is required by the student sponsor group to be there from 0900-1730 five days a week!

Sorry to be so verbose, but here's my question... As the child is only sixteen, don't our laws prohibit a sixteen year-old from working 8 hours a day, five days a week, without remuneration? I phoned an educator friend of mine to ask. She said it was against the law to have her work that many hours. When I gently queried the manager, her curt reply was "the laws are different in France! And besides, it's none of your business."

I'm both heart-broken and frustrated for the child. She only has a few more weeks here. But I'd hate for her to return to France with such a negative impression of Britain, and possibly a Staph infection, or two.

As far as the Charity is concerned, the venue violates virtually every Health and Safety law in our country. No hot water to wash hands, no fire exits either marked or present, no heating where staff or volunteers work, and as best I can see, no government notices, licenses, etc., anywhere in the building. If it's not the cockroach traps all over the 'sorting' room, or the rat traps and the admonishment that I should not grab piles of clothes from the floor too quickly as that's where many of the rats nest. (any clothes placed on hangers, sized and, set out for sale to the public sit in a heap on the floor amongst the rat and cockroach traps before being prepared. It's ghastly!

But for now, may concern is for the child. Is this right what they're doing? It seems to me that both the charity and the Sponsoring group are equally culpable.

Grateful for any advice.

Ollie+

[fiction-factory]

I'm glad I checked all the replies before submitting as I'd started to give an answer along the same line as Buenchico's drawing a link with school work experience programmes and accepting though that this one didn't appear to have been checked out and monitored properly.

[EDDIE51]

PLEASE let the fire brigade know of this. No fire exits is a criminal offence. The fire brigade WILL close the place down if there are no fire exits. Just imagine how dangerous it is , piles of old junk and inflammable clothes and no escape route! You don't want to find there has been a fire and quite possibly injuries or even fatalities because nothing was done in time. There MUST be two signposted fire escape routes by law , non compliance is NOT an option!!!
The fire brigade will not hang about , they will be on it the same day you tell them, far quicker and more efficient than trading standards, though trading standards need to be in on it as well.

[derekpara]

As I say, I think there's something wrong with this post. No high street business can operate without proper fire safety compliance regarding marked exits. Checks will have been made at some time.