Charity tells parents to think before leaving children alone

THE NSPCC has urged parents to think carefully before leaving their children home alone after revealing an increase in reports.

Last year, in the South West alone, the child protection charity reported 432 cases of children left unsupervised. There is particular concern during the summer months, when children are said to be at their most vulnerable.

According to the NSPCC, last summer saw a 21 per cent rise in contacts about the issue of children being left home alone.

Seventy per cent of more than 1,800 contacts to the NSPCC helpline last summer were judged so serious that they were passed onto the police or social services.

Worried callers reported children being left alone overnight, young children being left to feed themselves and use dangerous kitchen equipment, and siblings fighting over games.

In one of the helpline calls, a concerned relative told the NSPCC: “I’m aware in the past my teenage grandson has been left home alone in the daytime and evenings while his mum goes out. At the moment, he’s being left home alone every day.

“He doesn’t have any friends or family in the new town, so all he can do is play on his game station all day. The last time I saw him he looked really unhappy.”

Although the law does not give a minimum age at which children can be left on their own, parents and carers can be prosecuted for cruelty to a child, which includes neglect, abandonment and failure to protect them, if children are put at risk of suffering or injury.

Louise Exton, NSPCC helpline manager, said: “Summer holidays can be a fun time for children but it is also when they are more likely to be left home alone as parents face increasing childcare pressures.

“Childcare is the biggest cost for families after housing, which could explain why we see a spike in calls to our helpline during these months.

“Leaving your child home alone can be a difficult decision as children mature at different ages – there is no ‘one size fits all’ answer.

“Parents are best placed to know what is right for their child, so it’s vital there is flexibility for them to decide, but we would urge them to think carefully and use their common sense when deciding if their child could cope.”

Babies, toddlers and very young children should never be left alone and children under the age of 12 are rarely mature enough to cope in an emergency and should not be left at home alone for a long period of time.

Parents are best placed to know what is right

for their child, so it’s vital there is flexibility

LOUISE EXTON

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

Parents and carers can be prosecuted for neglect if it is judged that they placed a child at risk by leaving them at home alone.

A child should never be left at home alone if they do not feel comfortable with it, 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 people are asked to think about what may happen if they were to have a falling out – would they both be safe?