The law is that children cannot be left at home. How to leave your child alone at home and not worry

All parents sooner or later face the question of at what age does a child become old enough to be left at home alone.

Allow you to go to school yourself and return from it without an escort. The question is not an easy one, and in order to understand it correctly, we will try to look at the problem from several sides, since each family has different circumstances surrounding them.
To resolve this issue more professionally, we will enlist the support of specialists in the field of child psychology and consider some of their recommendations:
At what age can you legally be left alone?
How do you know if you can leave your child alone at home?
How to instill independence
But first, let's find out what the law says and compare it with the laws of other countries.
AT HOW LONG DO YOU CAN LEAVE A CHILD AT HOME ALONE BY LAW?
In Russia, the legal age limit for children to be left alone at home begins at 14 years of age. This is partly due to the lack of responsibility (at the age of 14 in Russia they receive a passport), but on the other hand, this can be seen as making some sense from the point of view of child safety.
In Ukraine, there is a similar age limit; up to 14 years of age must be supervised, but the authorities took a slightly different path, introducing a ban on a child being alone at the place of registration and at the place of actual location. That is, he can be alone at home from the age of 14, but somewhere on a visit - only from the age of 16.
In this case, there is also a reason - it concerns both safety and the link to the age limit for being on the street in different areas (regions and other territorial units).
Belarus, in principle, follows the same criteria as Ukraine and Russia (the common past of the Soviet Union and the same system of pedagogy, preschool and school education are reflected here). Children must not be left unattended until they are 14 years old (in cities), and in rural areas - until they are 12 years old.
European countries, which consider themselves the most civilized, allow children from the age of 16 to be alone at home. True, in the UK the age limit is up to 15 years, and in small countries (Luxembourg, Liechtenstein) up to 14 years.
USA... Here everything changes from state to state: it is based on a legislative act that clearly states that it is prohibited to be alone at home if a teenager is under 15 years old. In some states the age has been increased to 16-17. But they are treated in a special way in the state of Nevada, where those under the age of majority (21 years old in the USA) cannot not only be unattended at home, but also go outside after 21.00.
The countries of the East are strikingly different in this regard, because they come of age earlier, and they honor traditions, and the desire for independence is strong among Asians.
For example, let's take:
Japan is similar to Europe, the age restrictions are the same (up to 14 years), but traditionally boys from 12 years of age are considered men, and girls from 11 years of age are considered women;
India - the lowest rates by age (from 8-10 years, depending on the province). This is despite the fact that modern Indian society recognizes marriages of 12-13 year old girls and boys.
HOW TO FIND OUT IF YOU CAN ALREADY LEAVE ALONE?
You can understand whether your child has “matured” to some independence by observing him for some time, finding out how he behaves in the following situations:
when playing on his own, how often does he try to attract your attention to himself;
is he looking for you when you are at the opposite end of the apartment or house;
how he behaves if the door in the room is closed;
is he able, without prompting, to brush his teeth, clean up after himself in the kitchen, in his room, make his bed;
Is he afraid of falling asleep with the lights off?
If, after your observations, you come to the conclusion that many of the above points are far from perfect, then it’s time to simply instill them.
HOW TO INCLUDE INDEPENDENCE
Only an independent child can be left at home alone. Psychologists advise starting this process at the age of 5-6 years. If you missed this period and now you are faced with the question of what to do, the child is afraid to be at home without adults. Read the recommendations, and most importantly, try to implement them.
Gradually, do not immediately give the baby a little more freedom, do not monitor every action. Leave him alone in the room, while you yourself are in another - this will give him the feeling that he is himself, but you are still somewhere nearby, not far from him. Allow him to serve himself during lunch, pour himself milk, cut off some bread, put porridge or soup on a plate, etc.
Define clear boundaries of behavior, that is, what can be done and what cannot be done under any circumstances, such as: playing with fire, power tools, communicating with strangers.
At the same time, teach him how to use the phone, basic cooking recipes, and how to reheat food in the microwave. Having made sure that the information is firmly assimilated and successfully applied in practice, decide on the main question: does the child want to stay.
Leave it for short periods of time at first, and over time you will see that your child is already able to take care of himself.

Is it possible to let a child go outside alone? Or leave the baby at home unattended for half an hour while mom runs to the store? Parental forums are seething, spears are breaking, and news feeds are full of notes about how “a pedophile approached a child on the street while he was walking in the yard without his parents,” “two girls were hit by a car,” and other horrors. "ProParent" decided to find out what laws exist in Russia on this matter and what experts advise.

Is there a law prohibiting children under a certain age from being allowed to go outside alone?

There is no federal law that would not allow children to be on the street without adult supervision, reported the office of the Commissioner for Children's Rights under the President of the Russian Federation, Pavel Astakhov. - There are only regional laws on this matter. Thus, in Kuban, children under seven years old are prohibited from leaving home unattended, and a curfew is established for teenagers.

It turns out that formally in Russia, babies even from the maternity hospital have the right to get home on their own.

At what age is it safe for children to leave home alone?

“It depends on the place where the family lives, on whether there is a road nearby,” says Boris Altshuler, chairman of the board of the public organization “Children’s Right.” - If, like Pushkin: “The baby has already frozen his finger, he is both sad and funny, and his mother is threatening him through the window...” - then it’s one thing, from the age of seven you can safely let him go into the yard. You should not be younger than this age. But this is only in the immediate vicinity of the house.

Who is responsible for a child when he is on the street unattended?

Until the age of 18, responsibility for the child lies entirely with the parents. Based on this, we must decide whether he should be given additional freedom, whether he can cope with it, whether he can control his own safety.

At what age should children be sent to school?

In my opinion, children are ready to move independently along a familiar route at the age of 10-11 years,” says Viktor Panin, chairman of the All-Russian Society for the Protection of the Rights of Consumers of Educational Services. - Sometimes you can let go of one earlier, but at the same time clearly control it. Now almost all schoolchildren have phones. And it will be right if, having achieved the goal, the child immediately calls his parents and reports: I’ve arrived, everything is fine.

Can a child go home from kindergarten alone or with his older brother?

The heads of many kindergartens require that only adults pick up children from groups and do not let pupils go even with older brothers or sisters if they are under 18 years old. Experts believe this is unfounded.

Of course, no one will let a kindergartener leave the gate alone, no matter how the law is formulated, but there are simple human rules,” explains Alshuler. - But there is another extreme. In our country, even in Drebodan, a drunken father will be given his baby, although in Europe they would call the police - that’s the law. And, probably, they would have done the right thing. Therefore, I don’t see anything criminal in younger children being taken away by older ones, especially if they are not a couple of years apart, and the teacher has a corresponding statement from the parents on his desk.

Is it okay to leave home alone?

Life is a striped phenomenon, as we know. There are different families, there are all sorts of situations. And many kids have to get used to making do on their own. Simply because there is no free grandmother nearby, and mom needs to go away on business. It’s not possible to take your child with you every time. Experts advise one thing: when developing independence, do not forget about the risks. If in an apartment it is possible to remove from the access area all objects potentially dangerous to the baby, then it is impossible to clean the yard or street in this way.

If we provided all mothers in need with home-based work, as they do in France, we could require parents to provide round-the-clock childcare,” says Boris Alshuler. - But we don’t have that yet. Because of this, children are sooner or later left alone. And here everything is left to the parents, their perception of the children’s readiness for independent life. But I myself would not advise leaving preschoolers unattended. After seven years, children can already spend some time on their own.

Situation: “A 29-year-old resident of Novosibirsk will go to trial for causing death by negligence: she went to the store and left three small children at home, the youngest fell out of the window. The indictment was approved by the Deputy Prosecutor of the Dzerzhinsky District, Alexander Guber.

The incident happened on August 28 in a 17-story building on Lejeune Street. “According to investigators, the accused left her apartment on the 10th floor to go to the store. She left three young children in the apartment: nine, four and three years old. Left unattended, the youngest of the children approached the window, independently climbed onto it over the heating radiator, opened the plastic window sash, and then fell out into the street,” the prosecutor’s office of the Novosibirsk region reported.

Investigators previously said the child was walking on the windowsill and lost his balance. The criminal case will be considered by the Dzerzhinsky District Court of Novosibirsk.”

Commented by Elena Proskurova, lawyer, head of the general civil law practice of the National Legal Service AMULEX.

If the child is walking alone. Photo - Lori's photo bank

What is the judicial practice in such cases? If something happens to a child left at home without adults, do the parents go to court?

In most cases, the reasons for children falling out of windows are the carelessness of parents who leave their children without control, forget to close the windows during their absence, as well as the arrangement of furniture in the rooms, which allows children to climb onto the window sills on their own. Many parents believe that mosquito nets on windows are a guarantee of safety. In fact, this is not so: the mosquito net is not strong enough and creates the illusion of a closed window for the child.

The main defenders of our children, of course, are father and mother, who are obliged to guarantee the child’s safety. But when this does not happen, a tragedy occurs in the family for all family members. Thus, the Kovrov City Court of the Vladimir Region issued verdict No. 1-114/2016 dated December 19, 2016, by which the mother of a minor was found guilty of committing a crime under Part 1 of Art. 109 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (causing death by negligence). A similar criminal case was considered by the Balakhninsky City Court of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, verdict No. 1-274/2016 of December 13, 2016.

What legally awaits a parent if a child falls out of a window while the parent was at home but in another room? There are also many such cases in the news.

For each case of death of a child or, if harm is caused to the child’s health, a pre-investigation check is carried out, during which it is established what could have caused the incident. If the guilt of the parents is established, the parents will be held criminally or administratively liable, based on the consequences that have occurred. In any case, the court will determine the age of the child, the reasons why the child was left alone without adult supervision and other circumstances worthy of attention.

- Until what age can a child be left alone at home in Russia?

In the Russian Federation there is no law that would regulate the age of a child at which he can be left at home alone.

Does the law stipulate a child being on the street without an adult? If a child was walking on the playground while the mother was in the store, and something happened, what could await the mother from a legal point of view?

There is a Federal Law dated July 24, 1998 N 124-FZ “On Basic Guarantees of the Rights of the Child in the Russian Federation,” which prohibits children under 18 years of age from being in public places from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. without being accompanied by their parents or persons in their stead. .

Thus, if a child was walking on the playground while the mother was in the store, and a tragedy, serious injury, etc. occurred, the circumstances that led to this outcome will be established. After all, sometimes playgrounds are installed in such a way that they can be traumatic and pose a threat to the life and health of the child.

According to Article 61 of the Family Code of the Russian Federation, responsibility for their children until they reach adulthood lies entirely with the parents. For leaving a child unattended, a parent may face administrative liability under Art. 5.35. KRFoAP: “failure to fulfill or improper fulfillment by parents or other legal representatives of minors of duties for the maintenance, upbringing, training, protection of the rights and interests of minors.”

In exceptional cases, parents may also face criminal liability under Art. 125 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation: “knowingly leaving without help a person who is in a condition dangerous to life or health and is deprived of the opportunity to take measures for self-preservation due to childhood, old age, illness or due to his helplessness, in cases where the culprit had the opportunity to help this person and was obliged to take care of him or he himself put him in a condition dangerous to life or health.”

At what age can a child go to school alone? Is there a law on this topic? At what age can you use public transport (bus, metro) independently? Who will be punished if something happens to him on the way to school (for example, he is hit by a car)? In this case, can the parents be found guilty under the article “leaving in danger”?

Russian legislation does not regulate the age at which a child can go to school independently, take additional classes, or use public transport independently. There are regional regulations that limit the presence of children under 18 years of age in public places from 22:00 to 06:00 unaccompanied by their parents or persons replacing them - the so-called “curfew”. In some regions of the Russian Federation, legislation stipulates the age for minors to walk independently. For example, in the Krasnodar Territory, children under seven years of age should not appear in a public place unaccompanied by an adult, regardless of the time of day.

As practice shows, issues of children's independence are regulated by moral norms, but if a tragedy happens to a child or adverse consequences occur, then the parents will bear responsibility if their guilt in improperly fulfilling the duties of raising and supporting children is established.

- Some parents decide to send their school-age child alone by taxi to school and extracurricular activities. What could this mean legally?

When calling a taxi, parents must inform the operator of the age, weight and height of the child so that the operator can send the car with a restraint device that meets the parameters specified by the parent. When boarding a child, parents must ensure that the child's journey will be safe. If the parents do not take these measures and adverse consequences occur, we can talk about the responsibility of both the driver who violated the rules of transportation and the parents who were not convinced of the child’s safety.

What laws regarding a child being alone (at home, on the street, in a taxi, etc.) exist in other countries? Were these issues regulated in the USSR?

In the USSR, the issues of a child being alone at home, on the street, or in public transport were not regulated. Regarding other countries: every US state has an age limit at which a child should absolutely not be left alone. For example, in Arizona - up to 10 years, in Maryland up to 18 years, in other states up to 14 years. Everyone monitors the implementation of the law - both ordinary citizens and social services.

Thus, in many countries, including Russia, there is no indication of the age at which a parent can leave a child at home without the presence of adults. When deciding whether to leave your child alone at home, do everything to minimize the number of potential sources of danger. At what age a child can be allowed to go out alone will depend on both the parents and the child and his or her independence. Teach them safety rules, discuss all possible situations that a child may find himself in. Always stay in touch with your children, especially since modern technologies make this possible.

There are many situations in life when a mother urgently needs to go away, but there is no one to leave the child with. Run after your elder to school while the baby is sleeping. Buy a loaf of bread while the child is busy playing, but the weather outside is terrible and there is neither time nor energy to dress the child. Take the younger one to the doctor while the older one does his homework. And so on and so forth.

Is it possible to leave a child alone, and for how long? Will everything be okay? What if something happens in your absence? No one will give a definite answer to these questions.

• Teach you how to call your mom

Often, from almost 3-4 years of age, children are doing well. Why not use progress for everyone's benefit? Even when I had to leave my children at some children's club, I gave them a cell phone, explaining in advance where to press to pick up the phone and dial my number.

• Use modern technical means

If parental anxiety is off the charts, you can always use modern technical means such as built-in webcams with live broadcast to a cell phone.

• Teach not to open the door for anyone

As for such an unpleasant topic as, I will not go into detail here, but I will recommend L. Petranovskaya’s excellent book from the series - “... you are alone at home, and the doorbell is ringing.”

In general, if we really take the issue seriously, it would be nice to hang something like posters with pictures somewhere in the most visible place, a la “what to do and what exactly not to do when you’re at home alone.”

“Mom, don’t go, I’m afraid”

The psychological comfort of a child is a topic no less important than his safety. If a child feels confident and even dreams of being left alone in order to be an “adult”, then this opportunity should be provided to him for a while.

If he is afraid of something, resists in every possible way even the thought of being left alone - perhaps the time has not come yet. Will you still have to leave? Then you need to try to prepare in advance and mentally prepare the baby.

For example, we tried to leave our son alone when he was 7-8 years old. And he usually didn't mind at all. At the same time, at six, my daughter cannot even imagine being alone, or even alone with her brother. There are children who are uncomfortable even staying alone in the room, even though there are adults in the apartment.

Everything is individual here. For example, that may be a challenge for an urban person. For people living in the village, even the very problem of “to leave or not” may seem exaggerated. From birth, the entire space around is perceived as a big house. There is nothing typical for apartment buildings. Children are often left alone from an early age and people do not worry about them much.

But even if the child calmly lets you go, looking at the TV, or, engrossed in playing with construction sets, says “okay, go,” you should not forget that in a couple of seconds, as soon as you leave the house, he may panic. And the fact that he was left alone at home will not sink in soon (he will still have to remember what you said about when you return). Therefore, we usually remind our son several times if we plan to leave and...

How to organize this?

• Prepare for separation gradually

Starting with a few minutes of absence and gradually increasing this time. If you are leaving for the first time, ask how he spent his time, what thoughts he had, what happened in your absence. So both the child and you yourself will feel more confident during a temporary separation.

• You should not leave your child alone in the apartment sleeping

This is especially tempting at an early age. But from the point of view of safety, and from the point of view of stress for the child’s psyche, this is a very unsafe decision. Parents often start by quickly trying to “run away” somewhere while the child is sleeping. To the store, for example. And sooner or later they are faced with the fact that they return not to a peacefully sleeping baby, but to a child stuttering from tears, who does not want to let his mother go even to another room in the next few months. And before each time the questioner falls asleep (if he already knows how to speak): “Are you sure you won’t go anywhere while I sleep?”

• Leave “deputies”

It would be nice to provide for a child an opportunity to get distracted - as a rule, it can be cartoons or a tablet with a game, or let him talk to relatives on the phone or Skype.

• Teach how to use a watch

It's great if your child knows how. This would help him roughly understand how far you have gone and when to expect you.

At the same time, it is always important to accurately keep what you promised . If we stay even a little longer than the agreed time frame (be it an hourglass, a clock with hands, or the number of cartoons watched), then there is a risk that the child will not trust us next time.

• Come back before dark

For most children, being alone at night is the most worrying time. The son of one of my friends, who stayed until deep twilight, was sitting in front of a computer game that he had long been tired of, and was afraid to go to the toilet; Moreover, he was afraid to even get up and turn on the light in the room. That's why I try not to leave the children alone when it gets dark.

In general, I personally liked being alone. Suddenly, those household things that usually seemed completely uninteresting acquired special meaning and value. I studied old sets, leafed through adult books, tried on my mother’s clothes, and the space filled with silence gave rise to many different children’s questions and interest in learning about the world.

Photo - Lori's photo bank

Perhaps all parents are familiar with the situation when they need to leave the house for a couple of hours, leaving the child alone. Some mothers leave calmly, confident in the child’s independence, while others cannot find a place for themselves, calling their 10-year-old child every minute. When and to what extent can children be left alone at home? How to ensure the safety of the child and prepare them for this event?

Leaving a child unattended - when?

Experts say that the optimal age for this kind of independence is seven years. The future schoolchild already has an idea of ​​what can and cannot be done, uses the phone and follows parental instructions. But seven years is just a rough guide. It is also necessary to take into account the child’s individuality: temperament, behavioral characteristics, impulsiveness and level of development of everyday skills.

There is no need to leave 5-6 year old children to their own devices, no matter how independent they may seem. The first impression often turns out to be wrong, and a seemingly reasonable child can become confused in a force majeure situation. Experts advise relying in this decision not on childhood, but solely on maternal instincts and female intuition.

What do the laws of the Russian Federation say about this?

In many European countries, leaving young children under 12 years of age alone can lead to their removal by social services. In some US states, teenagers under 14 years of age must be taken with you or have a nanny come to your home while you are away.

Russian legislation does not provide for special restrictions or clear age limits, upon reaching which adults can leave a child unattended. In any case, only you bear full responsibility and it is up to you to decide when to teach your kids to be independent.

Testing for independence

1. The child goes about his business for one and a half to two hours and does not bother his family every five minutes.
2. He is not afraid of darkness and confined spaces: he plays in the nursery behind a closed door and is able to fall asleep without light.
3. He knows the boundaries of what is permitted and the rules of safe behavior; he does not need to be repeated why he should not approach the window or talk to strangers.
4. Confidently uses communication means: home and mobile phones, ICQ, Skype.
5. You entrust him with certain responsibilities (cleaning the room, making the bed, caring), which he successfully copes with.
6. You do not control his every step, constantly reminding him that he needs to collect his toys and go to bed.
7. He knows the emergency numbers and is aware of the responsibility for making a false call.
8. Can turn to neighbors and other close people for help if any problem arises.
9. He is not offended that his mother leaves him alone, and understands the reason for your busyness.
10. He dreams of becoming an adult and independent person.

If you score eight pluses out of 10, it means that your children are ready for short-term loneliness and do not need every second control.

Beware of leaving your offspring is one, if you answered “no” to most of the points, and also if he:

Note to moms!

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• is sick - high fever, vomiting, attacks of chronic diseases (asthma, epilepsy) pose a serious threat to life;
• a child with “special needs” (autism, mental retardation, cerebral palsy);
• overly curious, mischievous, disobedient, hyperactive;
• trusting towards strangers;
• fearful and impressionable, panics due to loud noise, unexpected visitors and calls.

Home Security Techniques

The actions of a child left alone are difficult to predict, because he can be driven by fear, curiosity and a love of experimentation. Therefore, it is necessary to establish rules of safe behavior and rehearse literally every step with children, without overloading them with unnecessary instructions. Then you can leave the apartment with peace of mind.

How to prepare children?

1. Prepare ahead of time. From the age of four, leave your child alone in the nursery for half an hour, occasionally spying on him. In joint activities, provide more freedom, allowing you to choose activities to your liking.
2. Start small. For the first time, leave your baby for 15-20 minutes while going to the store or walking the dog. Gradually increase the time of absence: first half an hour, then an hour. At eight years old, a schoolchild can stay for a maximum of one and a half hours.
3. Be on time. Be punctual - you promised to return at 18.00, which means you need to come home exactly at six in the evening. Younger schoolchildren are already beginning to fear for the lives of loved ones. Also, your punctuality is a wonderful example for children.
4. Don't punish people for making a mess. Having the entire apartment at his disposal, the child can arrange an adventure for himself or begin to imitate his mother or father. Don't be surprised to find your lipstick on your daughter's lips.
5. Don't walk away from your sleeping baby. Do not “run away” during nap time, even if the child previously willingly sat alone at home. Despite the fact that you warned about your absence in advance, in his sleep he will forget about it and will be frightened when he does not find any of his relatives in the apartment.
6. Come up with an activity. Do not leave children alone without offering them interesting entertainment in advance. Buy coloring books with felt-tip pens, puzzles, a modeling kit, download cartoons or educational programs for your laptop. If a child gets bored, there is a chance that he will act out or harm himself.
7. Be interested in what he was doing. When you return home, pay attention first to the child, hug, kiss, and only then do the cleaning or dinner. Ask what he was doing, if anyone came. Praise your courage and be sure to compensate for your absence by reading a book, playing together, or going for a walk.

Children, left alone in an apartment, gain invaluable experience: they learn to occupy themselves, manage time correctly and fight their own fears. These important qualities will definitely come in handy when they grow up. Teach your child to follow all precautions, and then you will leave him with a calm heart.

Child psychologist Yulia Ulyanova will talk about how to teach a child independence, but not endanger him:

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