Is it illegal for a child under 5 to be allowed out to play in the street?

Question

Years ago, I was told this was so. And at what age is it legal to leave a child on their own in the house? What is the minimum age required by law for a baby-sitter - in the UK.

Answer 1

by some of the answers it goes to show how many people are either misreading and jumping to conclusions, or just dull themselves!!! you didnt ask if it was ok for your child to play outside, you asked if under 5's are allowed!!
i would say, it depends on how many kids are playing together, whether there is an adult to watch them, area you live in, what the parents do in that area etc,
maybe some would not let theirs out to play at all, some might if supervised, and some are just bad parents who either dont care or dont know enough.(usually coz they had crap childhood/mental health issues etc - its all about education and not just at school!)
its tough getting a balance between giving them freedom just to play and be kids, and protecting them, and none of us can judge another unless the other has been severly neglectful.
as for kids in on their own... my two eldest are 12 and 9, and i leave them alone for a maximum of an hour, and each time i do so, which is not frequently, i go thru the whole "dont answer the door/phone, make sure you pick up the mobile if its my number on it/be sensible/give them parents number/999 etc etc" !! at some point kids have got to be shown that we appreciate that they are getting older and that we trust them, and to give them a sense of responsibility and independance.
using common sense with knowing what your own kiddies are capable of can be tricky, but unless we want to wrap them all in cotton wool until they are not fit to hold down their own lives when leave home, then we better get a grip now!! why else is there such a rise in kids going to uni/college/work and failing/getting into huge debt etc? coz we've all got TOO paranoid about the dangers. they have always been there, just the joy of the media exposes them more.
yes it is a big bad world in many ways, but as parents its our job to prepare our kids in how to deal with it, not how to hide from it... that just encourages them not to learn to deal with problems or difficulties properly.

Answer 2

It's not illegal to allow a child under five to play out in the street. But obviously it's not a good idea to let them do so on their own with no adult supervision.

There is no minimum legal age to leave a child alone on their own in the house. It depends on the responsibility and maturity of the child, along with knowledge of what to do in an emergency. This would be tested in court by giving them a situation and they have to come up with a response as to what they would do in this situation, e.g. if someone broke into the house or if there was a fire.

As for the babysitter they obviously have to be the same as listed above, but there is also an age limit of 13. You also have to register as a childminder if you are not related to the kids and are looking after them between 2am-6pm.

Answer 3

Unfortunately there are no laws for these things in the UK. Common sense is supposed to prevail, but of course it often doesnt.

I would NOT let my four year old play even in a "safe" cul-de-sac, as you never know when someone can appear and snatch them. Yes, most children are abused by people who know them, but kids are snatched all the time by people who do not. The only way I would allow that was if one parent was constantly actually sitting watching the kids all the time. Relying on neighbours being "good at keeping an eye open" is no use.

I notice that people here seem to assume that you WANT to let a young child play in the street etc, whereas it could well be that you are concerned about a child you know that is left to play out by himself and left home alone. People on this site are so quick to jump to conclusions!

Answer 4

Children should not be allowed to play in the street at 5 especially under 5. I think leaving your kid home alone at the age of 13 is appropriate and the minimum age required by law for a babysitter i think is 13.

Answer 5

From what I've seen of the people from the UK...Nobody should be left alone by themselves.
Just use a little common sense. Do you actually believe a 5 year old should be allowed to play in the street? or left at home alone?
I say it's survival of the fittest. If something happens, just remember YOU are the one that has to live with the loss.

Answer 6

Whether it is legal or not who in their right mind would let a 5 year old play outside alone? There are so many perverts out there now just waiting for an opportunity to prey on some defenceless young child that is unattended by an adult.

Answer 7

I would not let a 5 year old out on there own.Think its 16 for baby sitter.

Answer 8

My kids sometimes play out, they are 7 and 4, but only when other kids they know are also out playing, and the mums in our street are really good at keeping an eye out for the kids. I think it's such a shame that people are so afraid of 'paedophiles' lurking around every corner, that they won't give their kids an inch of freedom. There are more dangers of your children being knocked down by a car - now that is a real danger - luckily we live in a quiet cul de sac. And as for paedophiles they normally target children they know, often, but not always, within the family.

Answer 9

28- You can't sneeze without closing your eyes. 29- Sea stars do not have brain. 30- Spiders have eight eyes, but they're almost blind. 31- Pigs don't sweat. 32- Plants have feelings (somehow they know and get sad when a living being around them dies) Those are the only ones I remember right now...By the way, who is Barbara Milicent Roberts?

Answer 10

It's not illegal.

It goes along with that law called common sense though.

As far as the alone thing goes there is no law it's based on parental judgment. Whenever the kid can be independent by himself for a while than it is okay.