parents about the law on leaving their children home alone?
A. There is no law that sets an explicit age below which a child may not be left alone, or for how long. The reason for this is that the development and maturity of a child and their ability to cope if left alone differs considerably from child to child.
For instance, a child of 13 years may lawfully be able to be left alone for a short amount of time, while for another child of 14 years, this may place them at considerable risk.
However, parents should be aware that leaving a child alone could amount to a criminal offence where to do so will put that child at risk.
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