When can you legally leave your children "home alone"? Perhaps surprisingly, while a recent YouGov survey found a large majority thought parents who left children aged 11 and over at home on their own would not be breaking the law, there is no official lower age limit – although parents can be prosecuted if their actions are subsequently deemed "irresponsible".
The charity Action for Children is launching a campaign calling for the 80-year-old Children and Young Persons Act 1933 to be amended in order to give vulnerable children greater protection under the law, and avoid caring and responsible families suddenly finding themselves open to prosecution.
Last year, a mother who left her son of 14 looking after his three-year-old brother while she popped to the shops for half an hour got a police caution for cruelty, and in 2010 social services threatened to intervene with the parents of an eight-year-old and five-year-old who allowed their children to cycle a mile to school unaccompanied.
So if, for example, a responsible 10- or 11-year-old takes public transport into school every day on their own, should they be allowed to stay home alone? When, and for how long? What about with a younger sibling? At what age do you think it is reasonable to leave children home alone?
