Q AT what age can I legally leave my children at home alone? A This is a grey area. Despite what most people think, there is no minimum age for leaving your children home alone.

However, it is an offence to leave a child alone if doing so puts him or her at risk of harm. It may also be of concern to Social Services or other agencies involved with child protection.

So, how do you know if it is safe to leave your child alone, and how do you avoid getting into trouble if you do? That’s the million dollar question. Ask yourself some of the following questions: s How old is your child?

s What is your child’s level of maturity and understanding.

s Where you will be leaving your child and how safe is it?

s How long are you leaving them?

s Are there are any other children being left with your child?

To illustrate this, most parents would think it perfectly safe to leave a 14- or 15-year-old alone for the evening, but it would not feel acceptable to leave them alone for a week to go on holiday!

Similarly, many parents would think it ok to leave younger children playing outdoors without direct supervision for a short while, as this is an important part of growing up, but to leave them outdoors for a lengthy period of time, perhaps in the dark, and not to check on them, or to let them wander off without knowing where they were going, would not be appropriate.

The NSPCC advises that children under 13 should not be left alone and that children under 16 should not be left in charge of younger children. You should never leave babies or young children alone in the house, even whilst they are asleep.

If, taking into account all of the above, you feel that your child is of an age and maturity to be left at home by themselves, remember to: s Leave a contact telephone number, and be available to answer it immediately s Make sure your child knows about keeping safe at home s Tell your child not to answer the door to strangers s Make sure your child knows what to do in an emergency and how to dial 999 if they need to and escape from the house if required.

s Leave a list of people they can contact if they need to like neighbours and grandparents.

s Make sure any hazards like matches and medicines are out of reach.

s Make sure your child is happy about this.

s Make sure your child knows when you will be back, and make sure you are back at this time!

It’s a good idea to talk to your child when you’re home, and make sure he or she has been happy about the arrangements and nothing has worried them.

If you need to, take advice from your local social services departments or from the NSPCC (0808 800 5000) or from Childline 0800 1111.

More on the same subject in next week’s Legal Matters column.