When can kids be left home alone?

[apples and bananas]

This is a little off the daycare topic...

I'm wondering if anyone knows what age children can be left home alone at (in Ontario) ? And if you have a link to a sight that states this.

I always thought it was the age of 10.

Thanks!

[sunnydays]

My understanding is that there is no actual law about this. I asked a police officer at Safety Village once and that's what he told me. He said it is up to the parents to decide when their child is ready, but that the parents are always responsible so if a child is too young and gets into trouble, parents could be in trouble. If anyone has different information, I'd be interested to know of it (backed up by facts of course!).

[mimi]

I am thinking age 11. There should be a law about what age it is permissible to leave your child without being charged with abandonment instead of deciding they are o.k. to be left alone. Two different issues I think.

[playfelt]

I have heard the same as you Sunnydays and it also matters by age/time of day as in having an 8 year old home alone for an hour after school is different than leaving them home alone while parent works the night shift is totally different. Many kids age 8 and up are home alone after school. It used to be considered 12 for being in charge of other kids ie babysitting but again not sure there is a hard and fast rule about it.

[Judy Trickett]

http://www.torontocas.ca/wp-content/...loneforweb.pdf

That's from the Toronto CAS. It states there is no law.

[Lou]

Huh, I always thought it was 12!

[sunnydays]

Thanks for the link Judy! When my oldest was 10, he took a "Staying Home Alone" course where he learned basic First Aid, what to do in case of emergency, etc. It helps give him and us confidence that he would be okay left for short periods of time. We also always had our cell phones so he could call us.

[bright sparks]

Thanks for the link Judy! When my oldest was 10, he took a "Staying Home Alone" course where he learned basic First Aid, what to do in case of emergency, etc. It helps give him and us confidence that he would be okay left for short periods of time. We also always had our cell phones so he could call us.

My kids did this last year and it was so good for them.

[bright sparks]

it 10 but its also up to the parents. My niece to this day is not responsible (and she's 18). I called the police and they said the same thing.

It is not 10. As Judy and Sunnydays said there is no age. The theory behind this is simply that if you were to say a 10 year old could stay home alone, not all 10 year olds are equally as responsible. It's about maturity versus number. Some teenagers are not responsible and mature enough to be home alone so really the age they are is not the important factor.

[eoinsmom]

I worked at cas in Ontario for a few years. There is no actual law, but we always used 12 as the typical age standard when responding to complaints, however the safety decision was always made after looking at each individual situation. I've worked in three provinces and none had any specific law.