Home Alone; How old for child?

Poppy9

Isn't there some strange law about kids being in the charge of a drunk adult. The age 7 rings a bell. Perhaps there are some police out there who can tells us.

I know of kids in primary school who walk home alone and let themselves in for 5 or 10 minutes. I think they are a bit young but I used to do it myself when in primary. My daughter (10) comes home on the school bus and the escort makes sure that there is someone to collect every child. If my oh is working nights he is in the house so I tell the escort that my daughter will let herself in as if the car is there he is there - he is just waking up then though. We are lucky in that the bus stops at the end of our drive.

We have an escort on the bus as its standard for primary kids in our area.

Bossyboots

I can't find an age range but yes, it is an offence to be drunk in charge of a minor.

mrcow

cindiedunkley wrote:

The comment the bus driver and escort made worried my son more than they did me or my husband and for that I am a little annoyed at them.

In which case make a point of telling them that their comments are both inaccurate and unwelcome. If they have a problem with this, then I would suggest that they bring it up directly with you in future, rather than unduly worrying your son.

Mado

Sorry to jump subjects... but how old is the limit to babysit?
I have left my kids with mature 14 year old girls (both girls parent's are in the village) and I am starting to wonder whether it was unlawful...
The trouble is there is a 16 year old boy who advertsises his services also in the village but I'd take the girls any day.

SnowyOwl_2

It sounds to me like your son is sufficiently mature and responsible to be trusted for that amount of time on a regular basis. It is good that he knows he is trusted by his parents and is responsible enough not to abuse that trust. Maybe he thought the bus driver and escort had judged him and then came to unfair and unjustified conclusions about him but which would then get you into trouble even though all you had done was justifiably trust your own child. Definitely answer their comments, your son's confidence may have taken a bit of an undeserved knock. They perhaps need to know that you have made a considered decision about the matter rather than having just left him to his own devices without thinking about it. (On the other hand if there are other children who really are a danger to themselves then it is good that they observe what's occurring - but their way of dealing with it leaves something to be desired).

I am a bit surprised by the law though...I mean if 14 is the official cut off point for kids being without adult company at home then why are there groups of unsupervised primary school aged kids on bicycles on the road? Or playing on building sites having climbed over the fence to get in? Are there two kinds of parent, ie responsible ones who teach their children how to be safe and behave responsibly, then irresponsible parents who don't particularly care where their children go or what they do? Just my off topic observations as a non-parent.

november

The NSPCC advise not leaving your children with a sitter under the age of 16. If the sitter is under 16 and anything happens the sitter is not responsible you are. The law as such doesn't say anything about it other than the under 16 year old can't be held responsible I believe (as they are a child themselves).

The 'children under 14' can't be left idea I believe may be true in Scotland but isn't in England and Wales.

I'm one of the fussy people being sort of 'in the trade' (some of my work involves vulnerable young people). I wouldn't leave my children with a sitter under 16. I would and do happily leave my 12 year old son alone for an hour or two providing its daytime (e.g. from school to when I get home).

Savvy_Sue

cindiedunkley wrote:

My son goes to a special school because he has dyslexia and asperger's syndrome. He is mature and knows how to use the phone and knows the 'house rules'. He has been coming 'home alone' since September and so far there have been no problems at all.

Do you think I am doing the right thing? And is the bus 'escort' and driver correct in what they are saying?

I can understand why the escort and driver would be concerned, then, because clearly not all children with special needs could be safely left alone. I can't say whether you're doing the right thing, but knowing what I know about Asperger's, your son is probably safer than many other children of that age, because if he knows the 'rules' he will keep them.

A problem could arise however if something happens which doesn't fit the 'rules'. To take an extreme example: if the rules say "you wait at home until I get home, you don't leave the house for any reason" and he comes in and finds an intruder in the house, or a dreadful smell of gas - well yes, he phones you, but shouldn't he get out and go to a neighbour to do that?

FWIW, I trusted my eldest, who has mild Asperger's, to be on his own in the house from about 12, but at 13 I'm still not sure I trust my youngest who sometimes has a candle fixation!

Mado

november wrote:

The NSPCC advise not leaving your children with a sitter under the age of 16. If the sitter is under 16 and anything happens the sitter is not responsible you are. The law as such doesn't say anything about it other than the under 16 year old can't be held responsible I believe (as they are a child themselves).

The 'children under 14' can't be left idea I believe may be true in Scotland but isn't in England and Wales.

I'm one of the fussy people being sort of 'in the trade' (some of my work involves vulnerable young people). I wouldn't leave my children with a sitter under 16. I would and do happily leave my 12 year old son alone for an hour or two providing its daytime (e.g. from school to when I get home).

Guess I'm being silly then but somehow it feels better to leave my kids with a 14 years old I know and with her parents 300m away than with an unknown 16 years old...

november

Mado wrote:

Guess I'm being silly then but somehow it feels better to leave my kids with a 14 years old I know and with her parents 300m away than with an unknown 16 years old...

I don't think so. You can only judge for yourself.

Presumably under the circumstances you have described her parents are available as 'back up' who can arrive very quickly if necesssary. So you have got a 14 year old babysitter with the back up of adults who are known to you rather than a lone unknown 16 year old without back up. If her parents are willing to come round if necessary I think any reasonable person would say that is fine

I leave my 12 year old with my 15 year old if I am out locally and am fine with that. They have neighbours who I know are there and could be round/my kids can go there in 2 seconds and I can be back within 10 minutes if necessary.

When my kids were smaller and we lived elsewhere I wouldn't leave them with an under 16 year old but then again we didn't have any responsible neighbours I knew.

eta I actually haven't a clue how far 300m is (I do feet, yards and miles :doh: ) but am assuming it isn't very far. :rotfl:

jockettuk

my daughters primary school is over a mile away and we have been going in the car morning and night. she is 10 1/2 now and just this week i have been letting her bike to school and bike home. she comes home no probs and goes to school no probs but just for my piece of mind i drive to school 10 mins after her to make sure she gets ther in the mornings at night she comes home on her own, its a long day to worry over nothing lol.. She loves the freedom ive given her on this and also its preparing her for going to secondary school. Its all abt trust and as we as parents are the only ones who really know and trust our kids then arnt we the ones to judge weather they are old enough for different things.. to much political correctness in this world at the moment.. yes its for protection but its also smothering our kids