Leaving children home alone
How old should your child be before you leave them at home alone? It’s a question many parents agonise over, particularly during the summer holidays.
During the months of July and August, the NSPCC helpline receives an increase in contacts from parents asking about leaving their children home alone. It’s common these days for people to be juggling childcare with full time jobs or multiple part-time jobs. For many, professional childcare costs are unaffordable. And with the rising cost of living, many simply can’t afford to take time off or cut their working hours when their children aren’t at school.
In the NSPCC’s 2022-23 helpline sessions, neglect was the number one area of concern. Of the 11,428 relevant contacts, more than 40% mentioned a child being left alone or unsupervised.
Is there a legal age for children to be left home alone?
No, the law doesn’t stipulate how old a child must be to be left alone. However, it’s an offence to leave a child alone if it places them at risk.
Parents are encouraged to use their own judgment when deciding whether to leave a child home alone. To help them, there’s clear guidance from the NSPCC and the government:
No child aged three or under should ever be left alone, even for just a few minutes. This includes popping in to see a neighbour or leaving the child in a car while you visit a shop.
Children under 12 are rarely mature enough to be left alone for a long period of time.
Children under 16 should not be left alone overnight.
The NSPCC also says that a child who doesn’t feel comfortable should never be left home alone. Even for those who do feel OK about it, it’s crucial they’re left with contact details for a parent, carer or other trusted adult.
What do social workers think?
A recent survey of social workers in the USA found that most believed that children should be at least 12 years old if they’re to be left home alone for four hours or more. Researchers from the University of Iowa canvassed 485 people employed in children’s and family social work jobs. Nearly every social worker surveyed said that leaving a child who was six or younger home alone for four hours or more could be classed as neglect. Around half of those surveyed said it was neglect to leave a child who was 10 or younger alone at home. When given a range of possible ages which could be set as the legal minimum for leaving children home alone for four hours, 50% of the respondents agreed with age 12, 80% agreed with age 10 and 94% agreed with age eight.
Social Workers Tool Box has produced a guide on leaving children home alone which can be used by social workers to provide advice and tips to parents. Download it here.
