Key issues to consider when leaving your child home alone
With the long summer holidays fast approaching, childcare can be a pressing issue for many parents worried about what arrangements to make when it comes to looking after their children.
One of the things parents often seek support from the NSPCC helpline about is the appropriate age to allow children to stay home alone.
Every child is different so there’s no one rule for all, but between work, appointments and other family commitments, it’s inevitable that all parents will have to leave their child home alone at some point.
As children get older, they’ll also want more freedom and independence, which brings new concerns for parents too. It’s a difficult decision for parents and carers to make, and one that will differ from child to child, but a new NSPCC campaign has been launched, designed to be reassuring, to reduce worry, and to help parents make the right decision.
The campaign is a partnership between NSPCC and Blakemore Retail – which runs 269 SPAR stores in England and Wales – and aims to promote the NSPCC’s Home Or Out Alone messaging. Full details are available at www. nspcc.org.uk/safe-alone, including advice on issues surrounding safety, boundaries and building trust, things to think about when deciding if your child is ready to be independent or not, whether they can deal with risks, and how they feel about being left alone. One 10-year-old girl told Childline: “I am at home on my own a lot due to mum working multiple jobs. I feel lonely and have not got anyone to talk to. Mum has given me a phone and I know how to call her or 999 if I need anything when I am at home alone. I just wish mum was happy and didn’t have to work so much.”
There are also checklists to help keep children safe, and advice for leaving children with another trusted adult, but the most important thing to remember is that a child who doesn’t feel comfortable should not be left alone.
And remember, Childline is here too, and children can contact us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on 0800 1111 or via 1-2-1 chat on www.childline.org.uk