THE Euros and Wimbledon are over, and the Olympics are just around the corner - but for many children summer will truly arrive with the school holidays. While young people look forward to a long summer break, parents and carers might find themselves worried about childcare. The NSPCC’s Helpline handled more than 7,800 calls last year from people concerned about a child left home alone or unsupervised - an increase of 65 per cent on the previous year.
More than half those calls were serious enough to warrant referrals by the Helpline to local agencies with a view to further action to ensure children were safe. More than 500 referrals were made in this region. Part of the increase could be due to a successful NSPCC Helpline marketing campaign making more people aware of the service.
But for many parents, July and August can be difficult as they’re forced to balance pressures of work and childcare. These challenges are likely to be more acute as the cost-of-living crisis continues, forcing some parents and carers to work increased hours or take part-time jobs. That could leave them uncertain about whether their child is ready to be left unsupervised.
One adult who contacted the NSPCC Helpline concerned about their neighbour’s two young daughters said: “They’re left home alone quite a lot, unsupervised with the family’s dogs. I’ve knocked a few times to see if they’re ok and they always say, ‘Daddy will be back soon’ but it’s usually hours later when one of .