Leaving children at home alone

Sometimes you will want or need to leave your child home alone.

On these occasions, it is worth bearing in mind the following advice:

What the law says

How to decide when you can leave your child alone

What to remember if you leave a child alone

Choosing a babysitter

Home alone - your guide to keeping your child safe

What the law says

The law does not set a minimum age at which children can be left alone. However, it is an offence to leave a child alone when doing so puts him or her at risk.

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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 the child will be left
• how long, and how often, the child will be left alone
• whether or not there are any other children with the child.

For example, most parents would think it's OK to leave a 16-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 supervision, most people would agree that this is an important part of growing up. To leave children outdoors for a considerable length of time though, or to allow them to wander off without knowing where they are going would be unacceptable.

You are the best judge of your child's level of maturity and responsibility. Read our  'Home alone' information leaflet for more information.

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If you do leave a child alone, remember:

• Leave a contact telephone number, 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 on what to do in an emergency - they 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, matches, etc.
• Make sure that your child is happy about the arrangements and confident about being left.
• Tell your 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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Choosing a babysitter

When deciding to use a babysitter remember to:

• Follow your instincts - if in doubt don't use them.
• Ask for at least two references and contact the referees yourself.
• Choose a babysitter over 16 years old.
• Listen to your child about any issue of babysitting that they are unhappy about.
• If your child is unhappy about your babysitter, find someone else.
• Only use registered childminders. A list is kept by your local authority children's information service.

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Further advice and information

If you need any further advice or information about leaving children alone, contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 at any time, or download our " Home Alone" information leaflet below:

 Home alone: your guide to keeping your child safe (PDF, 1072.9kb)