Helpline’s referrals over children left home alone concerns double

A helpline has made twice as many referrals to councils about children being left home alone or unsupervised as last year.

The NSPCC Helpline sent 238 referrals on the issue to local authorities in the year to March 2024.

This compares to 110 referrals during the previous 12 months.

Last year, the Helpline received 7,802 calls about the subject from adults across the UK, compared to 4,717 the previous year.

The NSPCC says a number of factors could be behind the increase, including a fresh marketing campaign for the helpline and greater awareness of the dangers in leaving children at home alone.

With the Scottish school holidays now taking place, the charity is warning that cost-of-living pressures are making the difficulty of balancing work and childcare even more acute for many families.

The charity shared an example of the kind of concerned call their helpline receives.

One caller said: “It’s two little girls I’m worried about, they must be about four and six; they’re left home alone quite a lot and that means they’re unsupervised with the family’s dogs.

“I’ve knocked a few times to see if they’re OK and they always say, ‘daddy will be back soon’ but it’s usually hours later when one of the parents comes back.”

The NSPCC say no child under 12 should be left at home unsupervised, but there is no legal age limit on doing this.

Kam Thandi, head of the NSPCC’s Helpline said: “It can be hard for parents and carers to know the right age to leave their child home alone as every child is different, and the first time being left unsupervised will differ for every family.”

She continued: “It is vital that both the child and adult feel comfortable with any decision that is taken, and that if a young person is to be left home alone, they know how to contact a trusted adult and what to do in an emergency.

“For anyone who may need advice or is concerned about a child who might be at risk, our helpline service can support you and the NSPCC website has a range of tips.”

Adults with concerns can contact the NSPCC helpline by calling 0808 800 5000, emailing help@NSPCC.org.uk or completing a “report abuse online” form.

Childline is available for young people via the phone on 0800 1111 and online on the Childline website.