Should I leave my child home alone?

The new Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) for Southampton was set up last year and was formed to make sure that children are kept safe. This board brings together representatives of each of the main agencies and professionals responsible for helping to safeguard children. It agrees how these agencies must co-operate in Southampton and make sure that they work well together to bring about good outcomes for children.

Keeping children safe is everyone’s business and the LSCB is working to help all the residents of Southampton understand their responsibilities.

Something we get lots of enquiries about is ‘What age is it ok to leave children at home alone?’

There is no law that gives a minimum age for leaving a child at home alone, BUT it is an offence to leave a child alone if it puts them at risk. This is a tricky decision to make so how do you decide?

Important things to consider are:
• The age of your child
• The maturity of your child and how much they understand
• The place where your child is to be left
• How long they will be left alone and how often
• Locking doors is not the answer

You are the best judge of your child’s level of maturity and responsibility.

Here are a few points to guide you:

Babies:

• Never leave a baby alone either asleep or awake while you go out. Just think what could happen? There could be a house fire, your baby could choke or climb out of the cot and you wouldn’t be able to hear your baby if they became distressed.

Pre-school age:
• Toddlers and young children love to explore and they tend to get into everything. You should never leave a toddler at home alone as they could seriously injure themselves.
• Falls, burns, scalds and poisoning incidents are common injuries in this age group, even when parents and carers are with them.
• Remember it is not fair to expect older children, who are not mature themselves, to look after a younger child.

School age:
• Most 9 to 12 year old children are not mature enough for you to leave them on their own for more than a very short time, for example popping next door. Remember you can not expect them to be old enough to cope in an emergency.

Teens:
• Children under 16 should not have to look after themselves overnight. You need to think what might happen if a stranger came to the door or something happened to you while you were out.
• Make sure they are happy with any arrangements and ask them how they coped afterwards.
• Leave a telephone number where they can contact you
• Ensure they know how to contact emergency services if necessary

Always make sure you put all obvious dangers such as medicines and alcohol well out of reach or even locked away.

Babysitting

A few pointers to think about when choosing a babysitter:

• Make sure they are over 16 years old
• Don’t be afraid to ask for references and follow them up yourself
• Follow your instincts – any doubts don’t use them
• Listen to your child and talk to them about anything they are unhappy about
• If they are unhappy choose someone else

If your teenager wants to start doing some babysitting there are courses available.

Useful websites and phone numbers:
www.nspcc.org.uk
NSPCC helpline 0808 800 5000
Children’s Information Services (CIS) 0800 169 8333