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I can not speak for Ontario, but in the US there is no set age, anywhere I know of, It is all a matter of opinion of the maturity of the child. and the ability to defend that action if the government and social services get invovled or if some negitive situation occurs.
Most States do not have regulations or laws about when a child is considered old enough to care for him/herself or to care for other children. Currently Illinois and Maryland have laws addressing this topic. States may have guidelines or recommendations. These guidelines are most often distributed through child protective services and are administered at the county level.
Contact the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information (NCCANCH) at 800-394-3366, and staff there will refer you to your local child protective services agency to learn about age guidelines in your area
There is no mandated minimum age for leaving a child alone. I do know that there are several babysitter training programs that recommend that babysitters be at least 12 years old. However, that is again only a recommendation. It is up to the parent to decide if the child is mature and responsible enough to be left alone.
what is the legal age for a child to be left alone overnight with 2 younger sibs while parents are at work,,in ontario canada,???im am worried about a neighbors children??
also, i think reasonable contact with an adult is important. we had an instance where a cousin was watching our son. the cousin was of reasonable baby sitting age but on the young side. there was an odd circumstance that caused the police to visit the house one night when she was watching him. she was unable to get ahold of us per the police request because of noise where my wife and i were. but she was able to get in touch with her mother, who arrived within 10 minutes of the call.
so... in this case, the police saw my son was in good physical and mental shape, and the juvenille caretaker was able to get an adult to come within a reasobable time.
im sure its a judgement thing in many cases. in ours, thankfully, the officer saw a clean, stable home with a caretaker who had reasonable adult support in a short period of time.
Again, I don't think that there is a legally mandated minimum age. It all comes down to the parents' decision. If they feel their child is mature enough and capable enough to look after their siblings, then that is their decision. If it really bothers you, then you should talk the people leaving their children home alone.
If you are too non-confrontational to talk to those people, then my opinion is that it can't be bothering you enough to do anything about it. They know their children better than you do, and know what they are capable of. Without any clear evidence of incompetence or danger, you should allow them to raise their children as they see fit.
There are very few states in the U.S. with legal minimum ages for children home alone, but many state agencies have published guidelines. Georgia, Illiniois, Maryland and Oregon are a few of the states with specific ages mentioned in their laws.
12 years of age appears to be the most common recommendation. Latchkey Kids Age Limits provides a state by state comparison with references. This site also provides one guideline from a California agency representative who suggests that 8 year olds and over can be left at home for up to several hours (usually after school before a parent gets home from work).
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