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Our Helpline expects a rise in home alone concerns this summer

Our Helpline is expecting an increase in contacts this summer from adults with concerns about children being left home alone.

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  • Last year, our Helpline received over 6,700 contacts where concerns about a child being left home alone or unsupervised were mentioned.
  • July and August were among the months with the highest number of contacts.
  • This summer holiday, we’re encouraging parents and carers to reach out to our Helpline or website for advice about leaving children home alone.

Between April 2024 and March 2025, our Helpline service – which provides help and advice for adults with concerns about the wellbeing of a child – received 6,719 contacts on children being left home alone. This is an average of 560 a month.

In July and August, there was a particularly high number of contacts made about this issue, with a total of 1,276 across the two months.

The summer holidays can be a particularly challenging time for parents as they try to balance the competing demands of work and childcare. To cope, some adults might consider leaving their children home alone.

Worried about a child?

You can contact the NSPCC Helpline by calling 0808 800 5000 or emailing help@NSPCC.org.uk

Find out more

A parent*, who contacted our Helpline, said:

“I’m after some advice. I have a situation where I'll have to either leave my two kids (aged 12 and 8) at home by themselves or make alternative care arrangements over summer.

"I'm separated and, for the next two weeks, I have to travel to another part of the country for work. I've asked my neighbour for help, but she can only be there in the afternoons.

"I'm aware that kids above 12 can be by themselves if they're comfortable with it. But what if there are younger kids with them in the same house? Is it okay to leave them home alone too?”

Also, as more children are left alone, there might be increased concerns from neighbours, friends, family and the public who notice problems when parents aren’t home.

Another adult* who contacted our Helpline, said:

“I'm worried about three girls who are four, six and eight. It's the school holidays, and I believe both parents have left to go to work. There are no cars on the drive or other cars that would show a babysitter is around. I can hear the children arguing since the mum left. This sort of thing has happened before, but not for this long.”

There’s no legal age limit for leaving children home alone, but we recommend never leaving a child aged under 12 home alone. Equally, if a child has expressed concerns about being left without a parent or carer, those worries should be respected.

For those young people who are ready to remain at home unsupervised, we’ve prepared advice for parents and carers:

  • Being home alone for the first time is probably going to be as worrying for the young person as it is for you. Try to prepare them by talking about scenarios that might take place and how to deal with them, like would they know what to do if someone came to the door?
  • Make sure they have the emergency services and relevant contact numbers written down in case they can’t contact you, for example family members or friends.
  • Agree what they’ll be doing while you’re out, as well as what they can’t do, for example cooking can be dangerous and should only be done by an older child.
  • Adults should be clear about what time they’ll be returning, let their child know if their plans change, and should check in regularly.
  • Depending on the child, being left home alone can be a big change to get used to. It's better to leave them for a short time at first, no more than 20 minutes, then build this up over time.

Further advice on leaving children home alone, as well as a quiz to assess if a child is ready to be left unsupervised, can be found on our Going out or staying home alone page.

Kam Thandi, head of the NSPCC Helpline, said:

"The long summer holidays present many parents and carers with a major headache about how they ensure their children are safe and looked after while also holding down a job.

“Trying to juggle these competing commitments can lead some to consider whether leaving their child home alone is a viable option.

“Even if the child is aged 12 or over it's still essential to check they're comfortable with being left unsupervised and to also map out together what they'll be doing while you're away and what they should do if something goes wrong.

“For additional support and guidance, our Helpline and website has a wealth of information and expertise which parents and carers can also draw on.”

Adults with concerns about a child can contact our Helpline by calling 0808 800 5000 or emailing help@NSPCC.org.uk

Childline is available for young people via phone on 0800 1111 and online, offering a 1-2-1 chat on the Childline website.

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You can contact our Helpline by calling 0808 800 5000 or emailing help@NSPCC.org.uk
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*Based on a real Helpline contact but not a direct quote. All names and potentially identifying details have been changed to protect the identity of the child and/or adult involved.