Agenda: When leaving a child home alone can be fraught with difficulty

But, for those who man the phone lines at Childline and other similar organisations, the reality of children being left home alone is no laughing matter.

In 2018, some 7,500 children were referred to UK local authorities due to concerns about being left alone, according to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), and 849 referrals were made to the police.

Childline receives calls from children as young as seven who have been left at home alone and we have all seen newspaper headlines of parents who have gone on holiday leaving their child or children

alone.

In addition, it was recently reported that an 11-year-old boy was left cowering under a table as an axe-wielding burglar ransacked his Gosport home while he was alone.

So how old does a child have to be before he or she can be left home alone?

There is no specific legal age to leave children alone but you shouldn’t leave a child alone if they would be “at risk”.

It is left to parents to judge when a child is mature enough to be left alone, but clearly the “risk” of

leaving a child alone while you pop to the shops is different from going abroad.

However, the period of time away from the house is not the only factor to be considered.

A parent or carer can be prosecuted for neglect, fined or sent to prison if they are judged to have placed a child at risk of harm by leaving them at home alone.

When a parent asks me for guidance I refer them to the NSPCC guidelines:

* Babies, toddlers and very young children should never be left alone.

* Children under the age of 12 are rarely mature enough to cope in an emergency and should not be left at home for a long period of time

* Children under the age of 16 should not be left alone overnight

* A child should never be left at home alone if they do not feel comfortable with this, regardless of their age

* If a child has additional needs, these should be considered when leaving them at home alone or with an older sibling

* When leaving a younger child with an older sibling think about what may happen if they were to have a falling out – would they both be safe?

The NSPCC also asks that the following questions are considered before a child is left alone at home:

* Does your child seem to be responsible and mature for their age and always do what you tell him or her?

* Would they be able to fix themselves something to eat and drink and would you be happy with them using the cooker or microwave?

* Can you imagine how they would cope in an emergency like a power cut or a flooded bathroom?

* Would they know what to do if the phone rang or someone came to the door?

* Would they know how to contact you or another family member or friend if they needed to?

* Do they have these contact numbers to hand?

* How would they feel about being left alone – pleased to be given the responsibility or scared by the thought of it?

My advice to any parent would be the following: if you, or your child, are at all unsure about leaving them home alone it is always best to be on the safe side and arrange some other kind of care such as a babysitter or child-minder.