The kind of supervision children need depends on their age, maturity, abilities, and surroundings. Adequate supervision is essential to keeping kids safe. An adult caregiver is accountable for the child's care, and inadequate supervision can be a type of neglect (neglectful supervision). Here are some of things you should think about when deciding how closely to supervise a child:

• How old, emotionally mature, and capable is your child?

• What is the layout and safety of the home, play area, or other setting?

• What are the hazards and risks in the neighborhood?

• What is your child's ability to respond to illness, fire, weather, or other types of emergencies?

• Does your child have a mental, physical, or medical disability?

• How many children are being left unsupervised?

• Do they know where you are?

• Can they contact you or other responsible adults?

• How long and how often is the child (or children) left alone?

Many states do not have laws that create a minimum age at which children may be left home without the supervision of a teenager or adult. The states that do have a minimum legal age to be home alone usually place it in the 10-14 years range—and many states provide that children age 0-6 may never be left home alone. Child Protective Services may investigate an incident or situation and determine that there was neglectful supervision of a child or children, and in some cases seek to remove the child or children from the custody of the parent or parents.

In Arizona, there is no specific statute that establishes a minimum age for when a child can be left alone at home. However, the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) provides guidelines suggesting that children under the age of 6 should not be left alone, children aged 7 to 9 should not be left alone for more than two hours during daylight and early evening hours, and children aged 10 to 12 may be left alone for up to 12 hours. These guidelines are not law, but they can be used by DCS to assess whether a child is being adequately supervised. When determining if supervision is sufficient, factors such as the child's age, maturity, abilities, home safety, neighborhood risks, emergency response capability, disabilities, number of unsupervised children, ability to contact responsible adults, and the duration of being left alone are considered. Inadequate supervision can be deemed neglectful supervision, which is a form of child neglect. If Child Protective Services (CPS) investigates and finds that a child's supervision is inadequate, they may take action, which could include removing the child from the parent's custody.