However rise may in part be down to increasing awareness of helpline

There has been a dramatic rise in referrals to a child wellbeing helpline regarded young people being left unsupervised.

The NSPCC helpline has made twice as many referrals in the last year to local authorities in Scotland about children being left home alone or unsupervised.

Between April 2023 and March 2024, the service, which provides help and advice for adults with concerns about the wellbeing of a child, sent 238 referrals to local authorities in Scotland following contacts about the issue.

This is compared to 110 referrals during the previous 12 months.

Last year, the helpline received 7,802 contacts about the subject from adults from across the UK, compared to 4,717 contacts between 2022 to 2023.

The increase in the number of contacts on this issue to the Helpline and the referrals made could be due to a number of factors, including a recent NSPCC helpline marketing campaign, increased service capacity and greater public awareness about the risks of leaving children home alone.

More than half of these contacts (51%) on children being left home alone were deemed serious enough for the NSPCC helpline to make a referral to a local agency or service with a view to further action being taken. 

One adult contacted the helpline with a concern about their neighbour, saying: “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.”

There is no legal age limit for leaving children home alone, but the NSPCC would not recommend leaving any child under the age of 12 at home unsupervised, especially for extended periods of time.

A child who expresses concern about being left alone should never be without a parent or carer and for those young people who do feel comfortable, it is vital they are left with contact numbers for a parent, carer or trusted adult. Long periods of being unsupervised can lead to children feeling afraid or neglected.

One young person aged 14 told Childline: “I’m sick of being left on my own, mum expects me to just look after myself. There isn’t always food I can cook, I can’t go and see my friends or do anything fun, but she can.”

Should leaving a child alone be the only option for an adult, then the NSPCC’s website has tips for parents to help ensure the young person feels safe, as well as a quiz to assess if a child is ready to be left unsupervised.

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.”

“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."