NSPCC Guidelines

by **PeterMac** 30.03.13 8:34

Just came across this - again ?
http://www.nspcc.org.uk/help-and-advice/for-parents-and-carers/parenting-advice/home-alone/home-alone_wda90761.html#law
Leaving children home alone
Sometimes you will want or need to leave your child home alone.
On these occasions, it is worth bearing in mind the following advice.

What the law says
The law does not set a minimum age at which children can be left alone. However, it is an offence to leave a child alone when doing so puts him or her at risk.
How to decide if you can safely leave a child alone
There are many important things to consider before you decide to leave a child alone. These include:

the age of the child
the child's level of maturity and understanding
the place where the child will be left
how long and how often the child will be left alone
whether or not there are any other children with the child.

For example, most parents would think it is okay to leave a 16-year-old alone for the evening. But to leave them for a week would be unacceptable. (Very strange advice. At 16 a person can leave school, marry, join the armed forces, become a Police Cadet . . . don't 'get' this)

Many young children play outdoors with other children without supervision, most people would agree that this is an important part of growing up. To leave children outdoors for a considerable length of time though, or to allow them to wander off without knowing where they are going, would be unacceptable.

You are the best judge of your child's level of maturity and responsibility. No problem there. This child could read, swim, sail, . . .
Read our Home alone leaflet for more information.

Home alone: your guide to keeping your child safe

This leaflet gives sound advice and useful tips to help parents decide in what situations they may leave their children home alone, and what they need to do to ensure their child's safety and wellbeing.

What to remember if you leave a child alone

If you do leave a child alone, remember to:

leave a contact telephone number and be available to answer it immediately But don't take a phone with you, yourself.
talk to your child about keeping safe at home and point out the potential dangers Like marble floors, medicines, kitchen knives . . .
tell them not to answer the door to strangers Better still leave the door open
give clear instructions on what to do in an emergency - they should be able to phone the emergency services Or lead their 2 year old siblings to safety
leave a list of trusted people they can contact At age three they can read Harry Potter, so this is no problem
put obvious dangers out of reach of children, for example, medicines, matches Or leave them on the bedside table in the next room, which should also be open
make sure that your child is happy about the arrangements and confident about being left Or even better, just don't tell them. Wait till they are asleep and sneak out
tell your child when you'll be back and make sure you're back on time Especially if they start to cry for an hour and a half.
talk to him or her about it afterwards. If she is still there.

by Angelique 30.03.13 8:48

PeterMac

It's not until it's pointed out as in your post that we see how much the general public have glazed over what lack of care took place.

Unbelievable how much "neglect" two Doctors thought was ok. Not to mention the other Tapas couples.

Yet this was described as "responsible parenting".

by **PeterMac** 30.03.13 9:11

Angelique wrote:
Yet this was described as "responsible parenting".

Allegedly, and by one of the principal suspects.

by plebgate 30.03.13 9:12

Thanks for the reminder PeterM as Angelique said it shows just how much lack of care took place and to brazenly admit it beggars believe imo.

Responsible parenting, as somebody posted here a little while ago whoever was supposed to have said this was probably told it was like dining in the back garden it being early days and all that.

Every one of the adults on that holiday should be made to publicly explain what they thought they were doing leaving such little ones to fend for themselves. Shocking behaviour imo especially when it is set out as in PeterM's post.

by **PeterMac** 30.03.13 9:21

plebgate wrote:
Every one of the adults on that holiday should be made to publicly explain what they thought they were doing leaving such little ones to fend for themselves. Shocking behaviour imo especially when it is set out as in PeterM's post.

And that is the important point.
EVERY ONE of the adults was - allegedly - behaving in the same fashion.
The McCanns ' apartment was closest, one minute away. The others were progressively further.
It is also likely that the ground floor ones were leaving the patio doors unlocked in the approved manner, and entering via the little path between the apartments and the wall.
To an extent therefore the other couples were MORE culpable in this respect than the McCanns. On their own admission.
That is, of course, only the case if we believe what they said.

by Guest 30.03.13 9:40

A reminder of what Russell O'Brien would have had to do in a very short time if we can accept his version of events.

https://jillhavern.forumotion.net/t6706-your-time-starts-now#150156

In a word, BUNKUM!

by plebgate 30.03.13 21:53

I agree Jean.

I think it's a pity they went on Oprah's show and not Judge J's when they went to America.

by aiyoyo 31.03.13 5:28

PeterMac wrote:
Angelique wrote:
Yet this was described as "responsible parenting".
Allegedly, and by one of the principal suspects.

Gerry didn't have the guts to say WHO particularly gave him that advice.
It was only a vague pointer that it was a lawyer or someone from children welfare protection organisation (can't remember who he indicated as having advised him that). The fact that he dares to pull that one out of the bag shows they were neither repentant nor sorry for their action even though they insisted she was abducted while being left alone.

At the very least, of all people, one would expect a Doctor (no matter the circumstances or plight he found himself in) to caution the public "NEVER TO LEAVE YOUR CHILDREN ALONE".

O/T here.
It's a no wonder their pink mousepiece is so proud of his achievements for the Mccanns that he hails it as his "prize work" because he managed so effectively to control what comes out of the press for the Mccanns. The Press would not have allowed Mccanns to dictate their headlines without verification if not for CM pulling all the cords. Gerry campaigning for statute for the press - to enforce law that the Press report responsibly is such an a joke when he'd fed lies to the Press for years, got away with it, and got well compensated for it as well. His feat would not be half achievable if not for CM. The Mccanns affair with the Press would not have been possible if not for their spin master.

by Guest 31.03.13 6:52

aiyoyo wrote:O/T here.
It's a no wonder their pink mousepiece is so proud of his achievements for the Mccanns that he hails it as his "prize work" because he managed so effectively to control what comes out of the press for the Mccanns. The Press would not have allowed Mccanns to dictate their headlines without verification if not for CM pulling all the cords. Gerry campaigning for statute for the press - to enforce law that the Press report responsibly is such an a joke when he'd fed lies to the Press for years, got away with it, and got well compensated for it as well. His feat would not be half achievable if not for CM. The Mccanns affair with the Press would not have been possible if not for their spin master.

Just to add another O/T quote, this time from Adam Tudor who also hailed the McCanns as his "prize work":

Question to Adam Tudor: " What was your most memorable experience as a lawyer?"

Reply: "Naturally it would be pretty hard to top Mr and Mrs McCann’s victory against Express Group. That aside, there's nothing quite like a libel trial and the tension of a jury verdict."

Source: Lawyer of the Week: http://www.mccannfiles.com/id275.html

Note to self: NSPCC Guidelines 2690696675