Leaving Children at Home Alone

Leaving Children at Home Alone

There is no legal age at which you can leave your child home alone. But it is an offence to leave children home alone if it places them at risk. Parents can be prosecuted for neglect if they leave a child unsupervised. Never leave your baby or young child home alone, not even for a few minutes, regardless of whether they are sleeping or awake. Do not leave children alone overnight. The risks are too great.

If you are thinking of leaving your child home alone, it is important to judge how your child handles various situations. Here are a few questions to think about: does your child show signs of responsibility with things like homework, household chores, and following directions? how does your child handle unexpected situations? how calm does your child stay when things don't go as planned? does your child understand and follow rules? can your child understand and follow safety measures? does your child make good judgments or are they prone to taking risks? does your child know basic first-aid procedures? does your child follow your instructions about not opening the door to strangers? You should also consider: if your child is mature enough to cope with an emergency, particularly if they are under 12-years-old. Children mature at different ages and every child is individual if you are leaving an older child are they happy with being left alone? are there neighbours nearby you know and trust to help your child in case of an emergency? will your child feel safe? Even if you are confident about your child's maturity, it's wise to make some practice runs, or home-alone trials. For example, before leaving them home alone, let your child stay home alone for 30 minutes to an hour while you remain nearby and are easily reachable.

Before you leave Even if you decide that your child is ready to stay home alone, you're bound to feel a little anxious. Taking these practical steps can make it easier for both of you: 1 Schedule time to get in touch. You might want your child to call you right away if they are coming home to an empty house, or set up a time when you'll call home to check in. Make sure your child understands when you're readily available and when you might not be able to answer a call. 2 Create a list of friends your child can call or things your child can do if lonely. 3 Make up a schedule for your child to follow while you're away. 4 Childproof your home. No matter how well your child follows rules, be sure to secure anything that could be a health or safety risk. Lock up these items and put them in a place where children can't get to them or, when possible, remove them from your home. These items include: alcohol medicines prescribed and over the counter lighters and matches.

5 Set ground rules. Establish some special rules for when you're away and make sure that your child knows and understands them. Consider rules about: having a friend or friends over while you're not there rooms of the house that are off limits, especially with friends television time and types of shows internet and computer rules kitchen and cooking (you might want to make the oven and utensils like sharp knives off limits) not opening the door for strangers answering the phone getting along with siblings not telling anyone they are alone. 6 Make sure that they have your mobile number so that they can contact you if necessary. 7 Make sure your child knows how to contact the emergency services. 8 Make sure you have smoke alarms that work. When you return discuss how it went talk about things that you might want to change talk about skills that your child might need to learn for next the time You can get further information from the parents section of the Directgov website: www.direct.gov.uk/

Islington Safeguarding Children Board 3 Elwood Street London N5 1EB Tel: 020 7527 4209 / 4234 Visit: www.islingtonscb.org.uk