Leaving children at home alone NSPCC Guide

What the law says

The law does not set a minimum age at which children can be left alone. However, it is an offence to leave a child alone when doing so puts him or her at risk.

How do you decide if you can safely leave a child alone?

There are many important things to consider before you decide to leave a child alone. These include:

•the age of the child
•the child's level of maturity and understanding
•the place where child will be left
•how long the child will be left alone, and how often
•whether or not there are any other children alone with the child.
For example, most parents would think it's OK to leave a 16-year-old alone for the evening, but to leave them for a week would be unacceptable.

Many young children play outdoors with other children without supervision but most people would agree that this is an important part of growing up.

You are the best judge of your child's level of maturity and responsibility. Read our "Home alone" information leaflet for more information:




Did you know?
There’s no legal age limit for leaving a child on their own, but it’s an offence to do so if it places them at risk.
Parents can be prosecuted for neglect if they leave a child unsupervised “in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury to health”.
(Children and Young Persons Act*)
*Children and Young Persons Act 1933 [England
and Wales], Children and Young Persons
(Scotland) Act 1937 and Children and Young
Persons Act (Northern Ireland) 1968

What is neglect?
If you fail to meet your child’s basic needs, such as food and warm clothing, or constantly leave your child alone, this is known as neglect.
Neglect is as serious as other forms of child abuse because the effects can be just as damaging and long-lasting.



Remember
• Never leave your baby or young child home alone,not even for a few minutes, regardless of whether they are sleeping or awake.The risks and dangers are too great.
• If your child is under the age of about 12, they may not be mature enough to cope with an emergency. They should not be left alone for more than a very short time.
And remember to put all obvious dangers out of reach before you go,such as medicines, matches and sharp objects.
• Even when leaving older children alone, make sure that they are happy about the arrangement and that they know how to contact the emergency services.
Keep your mobile phone with you and make sure they know your number so they can call you if you’re needed.
• If your child is under the age of 16 they shouldn’t be left alone overnight.
• Teach your child about what to do if there’s ever a problem.
Leave a list of people you trust that they could go to or could telephone, such as a neighbour or close relative.




The signs of neglect
There are occasions when nearly all parents find it difficult to cope with the many demands of caring for children. But this does not mean that their children are being neglected. Neglect involves ongoing, severe failure to meet a child's needs. Here are some signs of possible neglect:

•if the child seems underweight and is very small for their age
•if they are poorly clothed, with inadequate protection from the weather
•if they are often absent from school for no apparent reason
•if they are regularly left alone, or in charge of younger brothers or sisters.



Babies should never be left alone, even for a short time. If you notice that a baby or a child under the age of nine has been left on their own, contact the police on 999. They will go to the house to make sure that the child is safe from harm


I just thought this would amake interesting reading.
I was browsing the governments new website for grandparents whch treats grandparents as idiots and it mentioned the NSPCC so i had a look at what it said for neglect.

As you can see the parents were guilty of neglect so i would really like like to know who told them they were well within the bounds of responsible parenting. Was it from an official organisation like the NSPCC or was it a lawyer or was it one of their chums who said" it's fine you did nothing wrong it wasn't your fault you managed to mislay a kid. We all do it so don't fret"

Can someone email this to the gruesome twosome

Standing Tall wrote:Can someone email this to the gruesome twosome

As a GP I'm sure Ms McCann was fully aware of what was right or wrong regarding leaving children alone, she probably gave advice to other mothers in her work. She just didn't care about her own children to make provisions to have them looked after or take care of them herself, hence the "We all do it" quote that was spouted from her vile mouth, the moment she realised she'd lost one.

Standing Tall wrote:Can someone email this to the gruesome twosome

Someone should perhaps explain it to the NSPCC !

I've pressed the for a comment on the McCann case on two occassions that they called me soliciting for donations. I was told they are under instruction NOT to comment. If that where not bad enough, a director of the NSPCC was recently arrested for..... you aint going to believe this..... leaving her 2 year old child locked in a car, whilst she visited a nearby bank. The child was spotted by a traffic warden, who notified the police, who notified social servies etc. 20 Minutes later the mother strolls up questioning what the fuss is about. No problem, the NSPCC can afford decent lawyers and PR to keep a lid on this.

Add onto that, mailshots describing cases of abused children, which they now admit where completely fictitious. I was a suporter of the NSPCC and ironically it was their position over the McCann case that led to to dig a little deeper into their activities.