For many, it is somewhat a grey area on what age children should be left alone at home. There is no right or wrong answer, as the law in the UK does not stop a parent from leaving their child at home alone. Instead, it states that children must not be neglected or abandoned "in a manner likely to cause them unnecessary suffering or injury to health."
Under the Children and Young Persons (England and Wales) Act 1933, parents and carers can be prosecuted for neglect. This means that they can be fined or sent to prison if they are judged to have placed a child at risk of harm by leaving them at home alone, regardless of where in the UK the child lives.
Recently, Michael Gove was under scrutiny after he left his 11 year-old son alone in a bed and breakfast for six hours in order to attend a party.
Opinion is divided as to whether this was appropriate or indeed, safe. There is no prescribed age for when a child can be left alone, or a minimum age for a babysitter. However, before leaving a child at home alone, parents should consider the child's age, whether the child feels happy in the situation, whether they are responsible and would the child know what to do in an emergency?
The NSPCC have given guidance that babies, toddlers and young children should never be left alone, even if it's just while you pop down the road. It also suggests children under 12 are "rarely mature enough to cope in an emergency and should not be left at home alone for a long period of time", while under 16s should not be left alone overnight.
Now that we are facing darker ends to the school day, parents and carers may want to have a safety check with their children. They may be travelling to and from school alone, so they need to feel confident about doing so, what to do if they get lost and how to handle themselves around traffic.
It is the parents or other carers with parental responsibility (e.g. foster carers or family members who have been granted parental rights by way of Court Order) who remain legally responsible for their child's safety and must make decisions that will protect their child from risk or injury or emotional suffering. Where parents or carers fail to keep their children safe, they can face prosecution for neglect, a fine, or even imprisonment.
