Home alone

[guyane]

Hi does anyone know for sure what's the legal minimum age for leaving kid(s) at home on their own e.g. while I nip out to the corner shop etc? Thanks

There isn't one but if something happens or authorities are notified that it is a regular thing you could be deemed negligent

If they are under 18 and something happens - the parent is held responsible.

what ages are you talking about? and how far is the corner shop?

its a very tricky area as you are responisble for that child

how old are you kids?

dd stays at home alone during the hols sometimes, and in the afternoons, she's almost 13. But she has numbers for our neighbours and for me and dh at work and also in-laws. She is old enough to know to not answer the door, not to use the cooker etc
However I wouldnt ever leave ds (4) with her just to pop to the shop round the corner, not even for 2 minutes. She can look after herself but thats it

So what if they are 17, married with a baby in their own place? .

There isn't a specific age for leaving a child - mainly because some 7 year olds are mature enough to be left for 5 or 10 minutes and some 9 years olds are not. And it is really not a case about needing to keep to a law. It is about common sense, thinking about what dangers your child may face alone, what difficulties might arise whilst you are out, what help there is nearby, what would happen if you were delayed in returning etc. You can't have a law to cover that. And as mosschops points out, it is one thing to leave a child on their own, it is another to leave more than one child on their own.

FWIW Ds1 was 7 when I could trust him to go on errands involving walking over a quarter of a mile to the post box (crossing one quiet road), and leaving at home for up to 15 minutes whilst collecting ds2 from an activity (but at a time of day where is anything did happen to me dh would be home shortly). In both instances we had done a lot of talking through what should and should not be done and ds for example demonstrated where the safe crossing places were and explained why etc.

There is no statutory age limit. If parents are prosecuted then it is usually for neglect, but that is usually if something happens, ie child injured, fire in house etc or if parent goes on holiday and leaves child-ren alone.

Every child is different as ladymuck says, so use your own judgement and be prepared to take any possible consequences. Your children may be very mature and responsible but what would they do if for example some faulty wiring caught fire?

i thought it was if under 16 and something happens...

as mentioned two 16 year olds could legally be married with a baby!

"The law is not clear because it does not state an
age when children can be left alone. But parents
can be prosecuted for wilful neglect if they leave
a child unsupervised ?in a manner likely to cause
unnecessary suffering or injury to health? (Children
and Young Persons Act 1933).
Nor does the law state an age when young
people can babysit. However, where a baby-sitter
is under the age of 16 years, parents remain legally
responsible to ensure that their child comes to
no harm.
For this reason, the NSPCC does not recommend
asking anyone under 16 to look after a young child."

NSPCC advice from its Home Alone leaflet.

Thanks everyone. Good to know that this is an area we parents are still allowed to use our informed common sense