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 New York, there is no specific law that states a minimum age at which a child can be left alone at home. However, the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) provides some guidelines suggesting that children under the age of 12 are generally not mature enough to be left home alone. The OCFS also emphasizes that the decision to leave a child unsupervised should be based on the individual child's maturity, understanding, and ability to respond to emergencies, rather than age alone. Factors such as the child's emotional maturity, the safety of the home environment, neighborhood risks, the child's ability to handle potential emergencies, and whether the child has any disabilities should be considered. If a child is left in a situation that is deemed to be neglectful supervision, Child Protective Services may intervene. Neglectful supervision is a form of child neglect and can lead to an investigation and possible removal of the child from the parent's custody if the child's safety is at risk.