Leaving children at home alone

There is no legal age limit for leaving a child on their own, but it's an offence to leave a child alone if this puts them at risk. Parents/carers can be prosecuted for neglect if it is judged that they placed a child at risk by leaving them at home alone.

How mature the child is

It is important to consider the child's maturity. It might be acceptable to leave a mature 12 year old alone, but not a 13 year old or older who isn't mature and may put themselves or others at risk of harm.

A child should never be left at home alone if they do not feel comfortable with this, regardless of their age. 

If a child has additional needs, these should be considered when leaving them at home alone or with an older sibling.

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) advises that:

  • babies, toddlers and very young children should never be left alone
  • children under the age of 12 are rarely mature enough to cope in an emergency and should not be left at home alone for a long period of time
  • children under the age of 16 should not be left alone overnight
  • NSPCC website

Preparation before leaving your child alone

If you intend leave your child home alone, you should:

  • leave a contact phone number and make sure you can answer it right away
  • leave a separate contact list of people you trust, in case your child can't contact you
  • talk to your child before you leave about how to stay safe, and tell them not to open the door or invite strangers into the house
  • make sure dangerous objects like matches and knives are out of reach, as well ensure that all medicines (drugs) and dangerous chemicals are in a locked cupboard
  • leave clear instructions on what to do in case of an emergency (like a fire)
  • tell them what time you will be back, and don’t be late
  • set some basic rules about what they can and can’t do while you are out
  • teach them basic first aid
  • make sure they have access to adequate food and drink
  • make sure that the young person does not bring other friends into your house without your permission
  • make sure you have no planned deliveries to the house during this time

It's important to make sure that your child is happy and safe to be left alone. If they aren’t confident about being left alone, you need to make other arrangements or have someone you trust to look after them.

Finding childcare

For information about different types of childcare, go to:

More useful links

More in this section

Share this page

Play it safe, slow down, take care


 

What do you want to do?
What is your question about?
Do you want a reply?
Your email address
To reply to you, we need your email address
Your feedback

We will not reply to your feedback.  Don't include any personal or financial information, for example National Insurance, credit card numbers, or phone numbers.

This feedback form is for issues with the nidirect website only.

You can use it to report a problem or suggest an improvement to a webpage.

If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly as we don’t have access to information about you held by government departments.

You must be aged 13 years or older - if you’re younger, ask someone with parental responsibility to send the feedback for you.

The nidirect privacy notice applies to any information you send on this feedback form.

Don't include any personal or financial information, for example National Insurance, credit card numbers, or phone numbers.

Plain text only, 750 characters maximum.
Plain text only, 750 characters maximum.

What to do next

Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk 

What to do next

If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.  Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

Carer's Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912
Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

Call 0800 587 2750 
Email customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

Disability Living Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912 
Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Employment and Support Allowance

Call 0800 587 1377

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

Personal Independence Payment

Call 0800 587 0932

If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

What to do next

Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

What to do next

For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

What to do next

For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

What to do next

For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

What to do next

For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

What to do next

Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

What to do next

For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

What to do next

For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

What to do next

For queries about:

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

What to do next

For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

What to do next

For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

What to do next

For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

What to do next

If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

What to do next

For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

What to do next

For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

What to do next

For queries or advice about  60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.