Today, many parents put in long hours working outside the home, which sometimes requires children and teens to be left home alone after school until a parent returns.

Whenever it's not possible to supervise the kids yourself, it's important for children and teens to have a clear understanding from you of the "Do's and Don'ts" while they are on their own. The best way to do this is to give your children information and guidelines to help keep them safe and deal with situations that may arise while you are out.

The Canada Safety Council has a useful "On Your Own" Home Safety Checklist that can help you get started.

If possible, keep in touch with your child by phone, and try to limit the time you leave your child at home alone. It's best not to let a child stay at home alone before age 10 – and then only if the child is mature enough, only for an hour or two at most, and only if there's a responsible adult nearby to help out if needed.

Age alone does not determine whether or not a child is capable of looking after themselves properly – unsupervised teens and pre-teens can sometimes get into more trouble than younger children!

Here are some questions you may want to think about when determining if your child or teen can handle themselves home alone:

• Does the child feel comfortable about being on their own?
• Do you feel comfortable about the child being at home alone?
• Can the child follow rules responsibly?
• Do they understand and remember instructions, whether written or oral?
• Does the child find constructive things to do without getting into mischief?
• Can the child handle normal and unexpected situations?
• Are you able to communicate readily with them when you are not at home?
• Can the child always reach someone to help in case of emergency?

Establishing the rules for your children to stay home alone can go a long way to limiting the potential that your kids may become victims of crime or become involved in criminal activities.

For more information on keeping your children and teens safe while home alone, please check out the following resources:

• The Canada Safety Council: Preparation and Communication Key for Children Home Alone
• Manitoba Child Care Association / Child & Family Canada: At Home, Alone – Safety Tips for Latchkey Children
• PBS Kids: Home Alone: Are you Ready?