Leaving Children at Home Alone
What the law says
There is no law in Malaysia that states the minimum age that a child can be left alone at home. However, it is an offence to leave a child alone when doing so puts him or her at risk.
How do you 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 the child will be left alone, and how often
- Whether or not there are any other children in the household
For example, most parents would think it is okay to leave a sixteen-year-old alone for the evening, but to leave them for a week may well be unacceptable to some.
Many young children play outdoors with other children without a parent or carer being present. Most people would agree that outdoor play is an important part of growing up but in reality, as they are unsupervised, they can be considered 'alone'.
You are the best judge of your child's level of maturity and responsibility.
A few other points to guide you
- Never leave a baby or very young child alone at home, whether asleep or awake, even for a few minutes. It doesn't take long for unsupervised young children or babies to injure themselves.
- Children under thirteen should not be left alone for long.
- Children under sixteen should not be left alone overnight.
If you do leave a child alone, remember:
- If possible, leave a telephone number where you can be contacted, and be available to answer it immediately.
- Talk to your child about keeping safe at home and point out the potential dangers. Instruct them not to open the front door to strangers.
- Give clear instructions about what to do if there is an emergency. All children left alone should know how to contact the emergency services.
- Leave a list of numbers of trusted people whom they can contact.
- Put obvious dangers out of reach of the children, e.g. medicines, chemicals, matches, etc.
- Make sure that the child is happy about the arrangements and confident about being left alone.
- Tell the child when you will be back, and make sure you are back on time.
- Talk to him or her afterwards about his or her experience of being alone.
Choosing a babysitter
When deciding to use a babysitter remember to:
- Follow your instincts - if in doubt don't use the babysitter.
- Ask for at least two references and contact the referees yourself.
- Choose a babysitter over sixteen years old.
- Listen to your child. Talk to your child about any issue of babysitting that they are unhappy about.
If your child is unhappy about your use of a particular babysitter, find someone else.
- Only use recommended childminders.
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