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 child will be left
how long the child will be left alone, and how often
whether or not there are any other children alone 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 suppervision but most people would agree that this is an important part of growing up.
You are the best judge of your child's level of maturity and responsibility. Read the "Home alone" information leaflet for more information:
homealone.pdf
If you do leave a child alone, remember:
If possible, leave a telephone number where you can be contacted, 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 about what to do if there's an emergency . All children left alone 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, eg medicines, chemicals, matches , etc.
Make sure that the child is happy about the arrangements and confident about being left .
Tell the child when you'll be back, and make sure you're back on time.
Talk to him or her about it afterwards .
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 . Talk to your child about any issue of babysitting that they are unhappy about.
If your child is unhappy about your use of a particular babysitter, find someone else .
Only use registered childminders . A list of local registered childminders can be found from your local authority children's information service.
© nspcc 2007
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