Legal Definition Latchkey

At what age can a child legally be left alone at home? (See table below). A turnkey child or key child is a child who returns to an empty house after school, or a child who is often left at home unattended because his parents are at work. The child can be of any age, alone or with siblings. [1] A turnkey child is a school-aged child who regularly spends time alone at home while a parent is at work. The term “handkey” refers to the act of a child returning to a home without parental supervision and letting himself in. Dual-income households and single-parent households make this situation very common. There are legal age restrictions for children who are left home alone. Some are guidelines and some states may have more definitive laws than others. Parents may be held liable by child protection, child protection or law enforcement agencies if children are harmed while not supervised if, in the opinion of the Agency, the age of the children or other considerations make such a choice unreasonable. Legal issues continue to be important concerns for those working in libraries. They are concerned about possible liability if an unsupervised child is injured, abused or abducted from the facility. This issue becomes critical, especially at closing times when “parents picking up their children late also cause safety and possibly legal issues.” [22] North Carolina has no age, as specified in the Juvenile Code, where a child can be left home alone safely and legally.

However, there are guidelines in the fire order. The North Carolina Fire Safety Code states that no child under the age of 8 can be left home alone because of the risk of fire. Children from low-income families are associated with major externalizing problems (such as behavioural disorders and hyperactivity) and academic problems. This association was lower in children from middle-income families than in their supervised peers. [17] In 2000, a German PISA study found no significant difference in educational outcomes between “turnkey children” and children in a “nuclear family.” [18] “Latchkey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/latchkey. Retrieved 28 October 2022. Database Systems Corp. Provides an automatic phone system that locks seniors and children to make sure they are okay. This system is called CARE (Call Reassurance) and is provided to organizations such as police departments, sheriff`s offices, fire departments, and other non-profit and non-profit organizations. These organizations are called CARE care providers.

Enrollment in these programs is often free for citizens of these communities. In many cases, CARE systems are purchased with grants from large non-profit organizations such as the United Way. DSC also offers individual CARE calls for seniors and children with keys on a subscription basis. This service can be obtained by a simple online registration. SOURCE: Database Systems Corp. * These states do not set a specific age at which a child can legally stay home alone, but do make recommendations. Age restrictions for turnkey kids vary from state to state 1. Thirty-seven of the 50 U.S.

states do not have legal age restrictions for turnkey children, reports Latchkey-Kids.com 1. Nine states do not set a specific age at which a child can legally stay home alone, but make recommendations. Safe Kids Worldwide recommends that no child under the age of 12 or 13 be left alone at home. However, it is important for each family to assess their children`s maturity level to determine their ability to return to an empty home and take care of themselves safely until a parent comes home from work. The term refers to the latch of a door of a house or house. The key is often stretched around the child`s neck or hidden under a rug (or other object) on the back door of the property. The term first appeared in 1942 on a CBC radio program called “Discussion Club – Topic: How War Affect Canadian Children”[2], due to the phenomenon of children left alone at home during the Second World War,[3] when the father was drafted into the armed forces and the mother had to find a job. Since participants in the “discussion club” are all familiar with the term and allude to the fact that it is used colloquially, it probably predates 1942. In general, the term turnkey refers to “children between the ages of five and thirteen who take care of themselves after the school day until their parents or guardians come home.” [4] The table below lists the legal age restrictions for children left alone at home, sorted by state in the United States. Please note that city and county ordinances may have more definitive and restrictive laws in each state. Call your state`s DHS or local child protection agency to learn more about age guidelines in your area.

The term Latchkey Kid became common in the 1970s and 1980s to describe members of Generation X who, according to a 2004 marketing study, “went through their important and formative years as one of the least educated and least nourished generations in the United States. History. Turnkey children were prevalent during this period, due to rising divorce rates and increased labour force participation of mothers at a time when out-of-home childcare options were widespread. [6] [7] [8] [9] These key children, referred to as “day orphans” in the 1984 documentary To Save Our Children to Save Our Schools, came primarily from middle- and upper-class households. The higher the level of education of the parents, the higher the chances that the children of that time are children with keys. [10] [11] The effects of a key child differ with age. Loneliness, boredom and anxiety are more common among children under ten. In early adolescence, there is a greater susceptibility to peer pressure, which can lead to behaviors such as alcohol abuse, drug abuse, sexual promiscuity, and smoking. [13] [14] Behaviours could stem from “unexpended energy, peer pressure to misbehave, or hostility due to lack of appropriate adult attention.” [15] These sample phrases are automatically selected from various online information sources to reflect the current use of the word “turnkey”. The views expressed in the examples do not represent the views of Merriam-Webster or its editors.