Re: Legal Age for Looking After Siblings?

"Cynic" <cynic_999@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote


> As you say, there is no hard-and-fast limit, and the OP would
> only be taken to task if there were a complaint made to social
> services about the arrangement. This can arise if a neighbour decides
> that it "isn't right" and makes a phone call, so there could be
> trouble even if the kids are perfectly fine.

Here is what the NSPCC has to say.
http://www.nspcc.org.uk/html/advice/childrenathomealone.htm
Leaving Children at Home Alone What the law says
There is no law that states the minimum age that a child 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 in the household.

For example, most parents would think it's OK to leave a sixteen-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 a parent or
carer being present. As they are unsupervised, they are 'alone', 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.

A few other points to guide you
Never leave a baby or very young child alone at home, whether asleep or awake,
even for a few minutes. It doesn't take long for unsupervised young children
or babies to injure themselves.
Most children under thirteen should not be left for more than a short period.
No child under sixteen should be left overnight.

If you do leave a child alone, remember:
If possible, leave a telephone number where you can be contacted, and be
available to answer it immediately.
Talk to your child about keeping safe at home and point out the potential
dangers. Tell them not to answer the door to strangers.
Give clear instructions about what to do if there's an emergency.
All children left alone should be able to phone the emergency services.
Leave a list of trusted people they can contact.
Put obvious dangers out of reach of children, e.g. medicines, chemicals,
matches, etc...
Make sure that the child is happy about the arrangements and confident
about being left.
Tell the child when you'll be back, and make sure you're back on time.
Talk to him or her about it afterwards.




.

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