When is the right time to leave a child at home?

With the school summer holidays now well under way, lots of parents will be wondering about what age it’s safe to leave their children unsupervised.

This can be a really tricky decision for parents and carers to make, as it will differ from child to child.

There were 11,428 calls to our helpline about neglect in 2022/2023 and, of these, more than 4,700 mentioned a child being left at home unsupervised, with a spike in calls during July and August.

Deciding whether your child is ready to be left home alone can be a minefield.

There’s no legal age a child can be left home alone, so how do you know what to do? It is against the law to leave a child alone if it puts them at risk of harm.

Babies and toddlers should never be left alone, and while every primary school age child is different we wouldn’t recommend leaving a child younger than 12 on their own at home.

And just because your child is older doesn’t necessarily mean they‘re ready to look after themselves or know what to do in an emergency.

There might be reasons they don’t feel safe in the house alone, so talk to them and find out why.

It can help to go over the ground rules and remind them how to stay safe at home.

As your child gets older, it can help to talk to them about how they feel about being left home alone.

If they’re worried, ask them why.

For further information please visit: www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/in-the-home/home-alone/

Abi Bake
NSPCC Community Fundraiser for London.

Picture: Pixabay/Surprising_Shots