Overview

• UK law sets no specific age for leaving children unsupervised but makes it an offence if a child’s safety is at risk
• Helen Westerman of the NSPCC warns that babies and very young children should never be left alone and that under-12s rarely cope with emergencies
• Nearly half of the more than 21,000 NSPCC reports on unsupervised children occurred during summer holidays between 2018 and 2022
• Parents are advised to assess a child’s readiness, establish clear rules, run through emergency scenarios and ensure they have trusted contact numbers
• Soaring living costs and childcare pressures are driving families to seek clear criteria for home-alone arrangements