What is the legal age a child can stay home alone in the state of Washington?

Similar questions: legal age child stay home state Washington.

According to.....Children Home Alone and Babysitter Age Guidelines from the National Child Care Information Center, only Illinois (age 14 and an unreasonable length of time) and Maryland (under the age of 8) actually have laws that set the legal ages that children can be left at home alone. However, many states, counties and Child Welfare agencies and governmental departments have put together some basic guidelines similar to these from Fairfax County, Virginia: "Whenever any child is unsupervised/unattended the following should apply... There must be no emotional, medical, or behavioral problems which affect judgment or decision-making skills. Child must be comfortable being alone.

Youth must have a safety plan worked out with the parent/caretaker, which includes: How to access parent or other responsible adult at all times (including knowing the parent/caretaker's whereabouts and having a telephone number where parent can be reached). What to do in case of emergency. Guidelines for acceptable behavior.

Knowledge of emergency telephone numbers. Youth must demonstrate the ability to follow the safety plan and to make decisions that reflect concern for personal safety. Age Guidelines 7 & under Should not be left alone for any period of time.

This may include leaving children unattended in cars, playgrounds, and backyards. The determining consideration would be the dangers in the environment and the ability of the caretaker to intervene. 8 to 10 yrs.

Should not be left alone for more than 1½ hours and only during daylight and early evening hours. 11 to 12 yrs. May be left alone for up to 3 hours but not late at night or in circumstances requiring inappropriate responsibility.13 to 15 yrs.

May be left unsupervised, but not overnight. 16 to 17 yrs. May be left unsupervised (in some cases, for up to two consecutive overnight periods).

This is what King County, Washington, says about it at http://www.childcare.org/families/article_school-aged-home-alone.htm : "The decision to leave your child home alone is a very personal decision that needs to be made based on your feelings and experience with your child. Washington State does not have any laws or rules that say at what age a child can be left home alone. In general, children under 10 should not be left on their own, and babies and younger children should not be left alone even for a few minutes.

Here are some questions to ask your self before you leave your child home alone. Does your child feel at all frightened or apprehensive about staying home alone? Does your child follow your instructions and your rules?

Can you count on your child to tell you the truth? Can your child be counted on to stay clearheaded in an unexpected or emergency situation? Can you child calmly dial 911, give their full name (and yours), street address and phone number, and explain the situation?

You might feel most comfortable starting out leaving your child alone for short periods of time. Go slowly and make sure that you and your child are comfortable with the situation. " In our family, we set age 12 as the age at which the kids could stay home alone for an hour or two.

I know other families allow much younger children to stay home alone (the boy across the street is 7 and stays at home alone from 3:30 to 6:30 every work day) but I feel that is too young. I have made sure to tell both the mom and the boy that if anything comes up we will be happy to help him as we are generally home all afternoon. So in answer to your question, there is no legal age at which children can start to stay home alone in Washington, but the child protection agencies seem to feel that 10 year olds can in fact be left unsupervised for a few hours, depending on the maturity of the child and his/her ability to follow rules and keep a cool head if there is a problem.

Sources: http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/poptopics/homealone.html darwin™'s Recommendations Staying Home Alone Amazon List Price: $7.95 Used from: $0.01 Average Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5 (based on 2 reviews) You might consider buying her a copy of this book.

Washington has none... From what I have learned, it seems that only the states of Illinois and Maryland have specific legislation regarding this. The way that the law reads for the rest of the states basically says that if a child is of a reasonable age to take care of himself for a limited amount of time, then that is deemed acceptable. For example, a 12-year old could probably be left alone at home for an evening while the parents go out to a party.

However, an 8-year old would probably be okay only while the parents run next door to talk with the neighbors for a few minutes. The law from Illinois "...defines a neglected minor, in part, as 'any minor under the age of 14 years whose parent or other person responsible for the minor's welfare leaves the minor without supervision for an unreasonable period of time without regard for the mental or physical health, safety or welfare of that minor. '" Juvenile Court Act, 705 ILCS 405/2-3(1)(d) This is quoted from the source cited below.As for Maryland, the appropriate section of the below-cited source reads: Family Law Article, § 5-801, provides: (a) A person who is charged with the care of a child under the age of 8 years may not allow the child to be locked or confined in a dwelling, building, enclosure, or motor vehicle while the person charged is absent and the dwelling, building, enclosure, or motor vehicle is out of the sight of the person charged unless the person charged provides a reliable person at least 13 years old to remain with the child to protect the child.

(b) A person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to a fine not exceeding $500 or imprisonment not exceeding 30 days, or both. Basically, what I would suggest is about 12 years old in my personal opinion and experience with the kids of today. Years ago, I would say that a kid of 10 years old would have been okay but not nowadays.

There are just too many ways that a kid can get into trouble because of a lack of maturity that was much more prevalent in youngsters at little as 20 years ago. Sources: http://www.nccic.org/poptopics/homealone.html .

Only two states have specific laws and WA is not one...most often this is covered by Neglect guidelines... Washington code definition of Neglect Citation: Rev. Code §§ 26.44.020; 9A.42.100 Negligent treatment or maltreatment means an act or a failure to act, or the cumulative effects of a pattern of conduct, behavior, or inaction, that evidences a serious disregard of consequences of such magnitude as to constitute a clear and present danger to a child's health, welfare, or safety, including but not limited to conduct prohibited under § 9A.42.100 endangerment with a controlled substance. When considering whether a clear and present danger exists, evidence of a parent's substance abuse as a contributing factor to negligent treatment or maltreatment shall be given great weight.It is endangerment with a controlled substance if the person knowingly or intentionally permits a dependent child to be exposed to, ingest, inhale, or have contact with methamphetamine or ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or anhydrous ammonia, including their salts, isomers, and salts of isomers, that are being used in the manufacture of methamphetamine, including its salts, isomers, and salts of isomers. Federal Physical Neglect definition: The Department of Health and Human Services' Third National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS-3) defines physical neglect as any of the following: Refusal of health care—failure to provide or allow needed care in accordance with recommendations of a competent health-care professional for a physical injury, illness, medical condition, or impairment.

Delay in health care—failure to seek timely and appropriate medical care for a serious health problem that any reasonable layperson would have recognized as needing professional medical attention. Abandonment—desertion of a child without arranging for reasonable care and supervision. Expulsion—other blatant refusals of custody, such as permanent or indefinite expulsion of a hild from the home without adequate arrangement for care by others or refusal to accept custody of a returned runaway.

Inadequate supervision—leaving a child unsupervised or inadequately supervised for extended periods of time, or allowing the child to remain away from home overnight without knowing or attempting to determine the child's whereabouts. Other physical neglect—may include inadequate nutrition, clothing, or hygiene; conspicuous inattention to avoidable hazards in the home; and other forms of reckless disregard for the child's safety and welfare (e.g. , driving with the child while intoxicated, leaving a young child unattended in a car). Guidelines For Foster Child Activities from WA DSHS http://www1.dshs.wa.gov/pdf/Publications/22-533.pdf Sources: Personal experience as a foster parent .

1 I don't believe there is such a law even in the 'blue' states...but, if there is Washington probably has one...

I don't believe there is such a law even in the 'blue' states...but, if there is Washington probably has one...

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My 9 yr old step-daughter is being left home at night, with the supervision of her 11 yr old brother. Their mother is working a second job overnight. They are also sharing the same bedroom.

I'm extremely concerned about her welfare, especially left alone at night. Asked by sad3lizards 23 days ago Similar questions: legal age child stay home state Florida Politics & Law > Law.

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Thank you so much for the site. It was very informative. :) sad3lizards 22 days ago .

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What is the legal age a child can stay home alone in the state of illinois Asked by krouthe 2 months ago Similar questions: legal age child stay home state illinois Society > People.

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Overnight Asked by dabestcowlover 10 months ago Similar questions: legal age child stay home state Hampshire Family > Childcare.

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There is no legal age a child can stay home alone overnight. They have to be adults, 18 - to legally stay at home alone overnight. And really, no child should be alone in a house overnight.

There are too many things that could happen - break in's, fire, or they have parties and the house get trashed! There is never a good reason to live a child alone in a house, overnight.

Well there is really nothing that could happen. My daughter is 13 and she lives in a different state then all her friends. And theres nothing that could catch on fire, and theres no way someone could brake in because we like 2 miles from our neighbors.

Dabestcowlover 10 months ago .

So what you are asking then, is for us to tell you that it is fine to leave your 13 year old daughter at home, overnight, alone, in a house that is two miles from the nearest human being. Sorry, but I'm not going to do that. Fires start.

Electrical wiring burns, so do old furnaces. There are fires started by lightening. And being alone in house so far away from everyone is an open invitation for anyone to kick the door in and do pretty much whatever they want to do.

Not to mention that your daughter would most likely be scared to death. I know I sound like a bitch. I don't care.

You have NO good reason to leave a 13 year old female alone overnight. It's child abuse, and if I knew where you lived, I would call childrens services on you.

. And theres nothing that could catch on fire, and theres no way someone could brake in because we like 2 miles from our neighbors. "Baloney.Do you wrap her in asbestos before you leave?

When I lived rural there were many more break-ins and thefts than when I moved where the population was denser.

Amen, amen, amen to TurboB! You are crazy! .

I know in CA it's 13, but in NH it's probably 13 too. I would double-check on the NH's state gov website.

There is no LAW in california that states any age a child can stay at home....only guidelines. In fact there are only 2 states that outline specific ages illinios 14 and maryland 8...leaving a child at home depends on many factors...my concern is that you think NOTHING CAN HAPPEN...not that she's home alone. Does she have a way to contact you?

Is there an emergency plan, friends or neighbors that she can call if she cant get a hold of you? Many safety measures can be put in place...thats just a few...also, ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN AT ANYTIME! Children are abducted out of their beds while parents sleep in the next room, molested at schools, churchs and family members homes.So, keep that in mind.

Many school-aged kids walk home from school everyday to await their parents arrival after work. And many other senerios. The reality is educating yourself and your children about safety, etc...THERE ARE PLENTY OF TEENAGERS AND ADULTS I WOULD NEVER LEAVE ALONE IN MY HOUSE!

OR AROUND MY CHILDREN! Open your eyes to the big picture :) .

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Truelove: "should be" and law are two different things. One is opinion and the other is sanctioned with consequences. When I was a kid I took babysitting courses at 14 and began babysitting right away.

I am not from Ohio but as a child protection officer -I need to inform you that NO CHILD UNDER 16 years of age should be left at home ALONE without adult supervising.

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Turbo, I think you got your numbers mixed up. I believe it is 65. :) .

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I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.