CHILDREN HOME ALONE: THE QUESTIONS

CHILDREN HOME ALONE: THE QUESTIONS

By Carolyn C. Holland

Five Pittsburgh children ages 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 died in a 1:30 a.m. fire recently. Two 8-year olds survived. There was no adult in the home at the time of the fire, allegedly caused by children playing with matches.

The two mothers involved, who were out for the evening, are facing manslaughter charges.

The tragedy raises many questions.

Were the parents responsible for the tragedy? The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that the lawyer for one of the mothers, Shakita Mangham, sees no “causal negligence.” He attributes the tragedy to the fact that “Everybody sometimes screws up in life, and this was a big screw-up.”

Alas, I must say, it is greater than a “big screw-up.” It’s totally irresponsible to leave seven children, the oldest eight years old, in a home alone.

As a former director of a state-licensed family day care home, I must say I never considered leaving any of my charges in that age group “home alone.” They have yet to develop coping mechanisms for emergencies.

Assistant District Attorney Laura Ditka stated: “You don’t have to actually light the match to be responsible. There was no one there to protect the children from any number of dangers, including fire, which is ultimately what happened.”

The second question, then, is: At what age can a child be left home alone? Although resources state it’s determined not by age but by maturity, the Fairfax County, Virginia (www.nccic.org/poptopics/homealone.html) guidelines suggest children “seven and under should not be left alone for any period of time. This may include leaving children unattended in cars, playgrounds, and backyards.” Speaking as an adult who cared for up to eight preschool children at a time and trained babysitters and family day care home operators, children eight years old are certainly not qualified to care for five children younger than they are.

(The age guidelines continue: Children 8-10 years old should not be left alone for more than 1 ½ hours and only during daylight and early evening hours; children 11-12 years old may be left alone for up to three hours but not late at night or in circumstances requiring inappropriate responsibility; children 13-15 years old may be left unsupervised, but not overnight; and children 16-17 years old may be left unsupervised for up to two consecutive overnight periods.)

The third question: How do you determine whether a child is capable of being left home alone? Fairfax County, Virginia, guidelines suggest the following:  the child must not have emotional, medical, or behavioral problems that affect their judgment or decision-making skills and must be comfortable being alone.

The parent/caretaker must have a safety/emergency plan designed for the child, which includes: how to access parent or other responsible adult at all times (including knowledge of the parent/caretaker's whereabouts and knowing a telephone number to reach the parent); guidelines for acceptable behavior; knowledge of what to do in case of emergency and knowledge of emergency telephone numbers. The child must demonstrate the ability to follow the safety plan and to make decisions that reflect concern for personal safety.

Other questions need to be asked. For example, what is the community responsibility when it comes to family support? How many children of a vulnerable age are left alone because their parents have no other recourse in providing food and rent, or because their parents want to have recreation of some sort?  What can neighbors, who witness irresponsible parental behavior, do, especially if the human service system doesn’t respond? And what role can religious organizations play in the safety of the children under their care and in their neighborhoods?