kids alone at home

[dollydoo]

does anyone know what age kids can be left at home on their own.......my friend has 2 boys aged 12 (will be 13 in october) and would like to know if they can come home from school and be on their own til he gets home from work. they would be alone from just after 4pm til around 7pm.

[Joe_the_Lion]

There are no legal guidelines regarding the age at which a child can be left at home alone. The rule of thumb is that the child should be able to look after itself, and common sense therefore applies.

If it was a problem, then kids will not be allowed to leave school without a parent picking them up. There are more dangers on the streets than in a home surely.

[StarskyH]

I think you will find that a child cannot be left in the home on their own until they are 14 years of age.

[Joe_the_Lion]

Sorry, there is no legal parametre. The 14 rule is if looking after somebody who can not look after themself. So in your example if the 12 year old is incapable of looking after himself (highly unlikely, if of normal mentality), there are no offences.

Many, many children return from secondary school at 11 with no problems at all.

It may not be ideal, but the law is as I stated in my first thread.

It is one of the few rules regarding children that is solely based on common sense as opposed to regulatory systems. The ones that the headlines is when mum and/or dad go to Spain for a week leaving a 9 year old behind. The crime they are more often charged with is child neglect. It is based on the assumption (the crown to prove, which is important) that such a scenarion would endanger the wellbeing of the child.

Your example is fine (assuming they are both reasonably adjusted for their age)

[FlowerPetal]

Dollydoo,

i agree with Joe about the comon sense idea, but can your friend not get the boys into some kind of afterschool club.
I'd hate to think of my son coming home to an empty house every night for 3 hours - no matter how reliant he was.

At least at an afterschool club te boys can have fun, be safe and warm and do their homework. If your friend is intrested, get your friend to have a chat with the school and the local Childrens information service based at the local council

Flower xx