When is it safe to leave your child home alone?

It's a dilemma that every parent faces. Whether it's an unexpected school closure or an out-of-hours business meeting, situations arise where you've got no choice but to leave your child unsupervised. How can parents decide if their child is ready to be left home alone?

The law

Surprisingly, there's no legal minimum age whereby children can be left at home alone. However, parents can be prosecuted for neglect if they leave a child unsupervised 'in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury to health,' as set out in the Children and Young Person's Act 1933. In other words, it's at your discretion.

NSPCC recommendations

The NSPCC believes that:

children under 12 years old may not be sufficiently mature enough to handle an emergency and they shouldn't be left alone for longer than a 'very short time'; children under 16 years old shouldn't be left alone overnight; babies and young children shouldn't be left at home alone, even for a few minutes, as 'the risks and dangers are just too great.'

Considerations

There are several issues to consider before making the decision to leave a child alone at home. How old is your child? More importantly, what's their level of maturity? (It might be safe to leave a mature 12-year-old alone, but not a 13-year-old who isn't so mature).