Letter to editor – home or out alone

Dear editor,

Every parent will have to leave their child home alone at some point and as children get older it’s common for them to want more freedom as they learn to be independent.

It can be difficult for parents and carers to decide whether their children are ready to stay home or go out alone. It’s why as school summer holidays begin, the NSPCC has teamed up with Blakemore Retail, which runs 269 SPAR stores in Wales and England, to help parents make the right decision about leaving their children at home safely or letting them leave the house unsupervised.

Every child matures differently and there’s no legal age a child can be left home alone, although it’s against the law to leave a child alone if it puts them at risk.

As part of the children’s charity’s Home or Out Alone campaign, which Blakemore Retail has donated £50k to, a new guide has been created providing families with advice. It helps parents think about whether their child feels child can deal with the risks and how they feel about being left alone. It offers advice for leaving children under another trusted adult’s supervision and suggested checklists to help keep children safe when others are not around.

Blakemore Retail, which has reached a £4 million fundraising milestone for the NSPCC through an ongoing partnership that has lasted 16 years, will promote the campaign through posters and flyers in its store.

For advice and help deciding if your child can stay home or go out alone, visit nspcc.org.uk/safe-alone.

Vivienne Laing

Policy & Public Affairs Manager

NSPCC Cymru/Wales