Many parents agonize over the most appropriate age to leave their children unattended at home and the law does not provide much guidance. While there is no legal age requirement, the UK Government website does say it is an offence to leave children home alone if it puts them at risk. In England and Wales, any carers can be prosecuted for neglect under the Children and Young Persons Act 1933. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) offered parents some guidelines on keeping children safe at home. The society said babies and toddlers should never be left alone even if they are napping. It also advises that children under 12 should not be left at home for a long period of time because they are rarely mature enough to handle an emergency. For overnight stays, children should usually be 16 or older. poll loading Would you leave a 12-year-old home alone? 0+ VOTES SO FAR Yes No Depends on the child The organisation said parents should go beyond their … [Read more...] about The debate continues over when you can leave children home alone
Childrens home society
‘Shocking’ number of Calderdale children in care services going missing
Children in Calderdale’s social services have been reported as missing 275 times in the last three years. Seventy-four children have gone missing since 2015, with the annual figure rising from 11 in 2015 to 35 between April 2017 and March 2018.But some children have been reported as missing more than once, with the overall figure rocketing from 35 reports in 2015 to 129 between April 2017 and March 2018.One 16-year-old child went missing 17 times in 2015, a 15-year-old child went missing 21 times in 2016 and a 14-year-old child went missing 15 times in 2017.A nine-year-old child went missing eight times between April 2017 and March this year. A 13-year-old went missing 10 times in the same period.The youngest child to go missing was a one-year-old, who was unaccounted for in 2016 for nearly five minutes.The child was in the company of a parent and had been reported missing from a refuge.Holly Lunch MP (Lab, Halifax) said: “These figures are shocking, but do not come as a … [Read more...] about ‘Shocking’ number of Calderdale children in care services going missing
Up to 100,000 children to miss out on free school meals because of government threshold, study finds
Up to 100,000 children from low-income families will lose out on free school meals because of the government’s method for setting the threshold at which pupils qualify, a new study has found, prompting accusations the Conservatives are “consciously” targeting poor children. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said the decision to discount inflation when freezing the threshold for the next four years means thousands of children miss out. Ministers announced in February that the threshold for free school meals for children whose parents receive universal credit will be set at £7,400 a year before benefits are taken into account. This will be frozen until 2021-22, despite inflation currently being at 2.5 per cent. If the threshold was instead allowed to rise with inflation or earnings, between 80,000 and 100,000 more children respectively would be entitled to free school meals in 2021-22, the IFS said. Read more Children to lose free school meals under … [Read more...] about Up to 100,000 children to miss out on free school meals because of government threshold, study finds
12,000 children ‘missing’ education
Nearly 12,000 children are officially missing from education, new figures have suggested. Children's charity bosses said the statistic is "deeply troubling", and warned that thousands of vulnerable youngsters could be at risk of harm. The data, obtained by the Times Educational Supplement (TES) through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, found that 11,911 children are missing from education. Local authorities were asked how many children are known to them who are not in any kind of education, for example state or private school, or home educated. The figures reveal large urban areas have the highest numbers of youngsters who are not in schooling. Leicester has the highest number, with 2,611 children missing from education, according to the TES figures. Nine other local authorities - Birmingham, Kent, Bradford, Brent, Sheffield, Southampton, Doncaster and Westminster - each have more than 360 missing children. Sixty-nine local councils claim to have none missing, the figures suggest. … [Read more...] about 12,000 children ‘missing’ education
1m children ‘suffer from disorders’
More than a million children have disorders ranging from depression and anxiety to anorexia, a report is expected to warn this week. The fifth in a series of six reports by the Children's Society inquiry into the state of childhood is expected to reveal pressure on youngsters to grow up too quickly is leaving increasing numbers of them with mental health problems. Binge drinking, drug-taking and pressure to look fashionable and attractive were contributing to the trend. The inquiry into children's physical and mental health has been headed by Stephen Scott, professor of child health and behaviour at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London. A spokeswoman for the Children's Society said the report represented a "snapshot" of views from a range of people in Britain about the mental and physical health of children. She said: "It is a collection of evidence, there was a national call for evidence from children, parents and practitioners, including professionals and academics. … [Read more...] about 1m children ‘suffer from disorders’