With the Easter holidays upon us, parents are once again having to juggle work commitments with childcare. Many may turn to babysitters. But should they really leave their youngsters in the care of other children..?

YOU'D never knowingly put your own children at risk.

You wouldn't consider leaving your little ones at a nursery where the staff weren't qualified.

You'd make sure that the play scheme, youth club or summer school you were thinking about enrolling them in had staff who were trained in first aid.

But would you leave your little ones in the care of a 15-year-old child?

Earlier this month a Southampton inquest heard how mum Lisa Bowers left her three children with two babysitters aged 12 and 15 for a night while she stayed with her boyfriend in the house next door.

Her 21-month-old son Louie died in a house fire the following morning while in the care of the teenagers.

No blame was apportioned to anyone for the death and the coroner pronounced it a 'tragic accident'.

But the case highlighted the issue of children looking after other children.

Every day parents across the country put their children's safety in the hands of other children, often ones who are just a few years older than the youngsters they are looking after.

Every day babysitters across the country have no problems looking after the children in their care.

But every now and again, things go wrong.

Manchester 1999 - a 13-year-old babysitter is cleared of murder charges after a baby girl in her charge dies having sustained a fractured skull. The babysitter said that the baby jerked back while she was holding her and fell, head first, on to the floor.

Southampton 1993 - a 15-year-old girl is cleared of murder charges after a baby she was supposed to be looking after was found strangled in his cot. The babysitter, who was 14 at the time, had left the infant alone while she went to a disco with friends.

In none of these cases did anyone set out to injure a child - but circumstances combined to result in tragedy.

Indeed Phil Taverner, Area Children's Services Manager for the NSPCC, says that children are far more likely to be injured by accident or through neglect than deliberately.

"I've been doing this job for more than 30 years now and I can only think of five or six people that I've met who have deliberately set out to hurt children," he said.

"Mostly it happens because they don't think or they haven't got the right information or because they don't know enough themselves about what children need."

Perhaps one problem for parents when it comes to deciding at what age children are capable of looking after other children is that the law is unclear on the matter.

The law does not state at what age children can be left alone or at what age someone can babysit.

However, parents can be charged with wilful neglect if they leave a child unsupervised "in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury to health" (Children and Young Persons Act 1933) and they remain legally responsible for their children if they leave their babysitter with a child with someone who is under 16.

A sample Daily Echo poll of Southampton residents revealed that most people believed there were laws stating the ages at which children can be left alone and babysit other children.

The average age that people thought children could be left alone was 14 while the average age that they believed babysitters were legally required to be was 16. And the average age they believed a babysitter should be was 17 and a half.

The NSPCC official line is that babysitters should be over 16. However, as Phil Taverner says, matters involving children are not always that straightforward.

"Some children are quite mature at 12, 13 and others aren't," he said.

"If you've got more than one child and are considering asking the older one to look after the others, you have to judge the relationship between the children. It may well be that you've got an older child who's got a good relationship with a younger sibling. But if you feel at all uneasy, if you think 'Will rows break out?' or that sort of thing, then it's probably not OK to leave them on their own," he said.

"You've got to judge your own gut feeling about the relationships children have with each other."

Teenage babysitters Isobel, 17, and Letitia, 14, Clarke from Waltham Chase, Hedge End, think that their relationships with the children they care for are all-important.

Both girls babysit children they already know for family friends. They are adamant, as is their mother Lizz, that they would never advertise to look after the children of strangers.

Isobel has been babysitting since she was 14 and has never run into difficulties while on duty.

"When I get a new child to look after I chat with the parents about what time they want the kids to go to bed, if they've got any homework, if they need feeding, that kind of thing," said Isobel.

"I always have phone numbers for the parents and I've got numbers like the doctor's surgery and the vet stored in my phone. Also, I always babysit near home so I know that if I've got a problem, my parents can be there in a few minutes.

"I really love all the kids I babysit. I know them really well - even the tiniest things, like what food they like and where they go to school. It makes them feel more comfortable.

"Safety is the most important thing when it comes to children but really high ranking is leaving them with someone they like," she concluded.

Letitia has only been babysitting for a few months and is happy with how it's going.

She takes the same safety precautions as her sister and says she finds babysitting fun.

"I think if people are confident in who they're putting their trust in, it's fine to use babysitters. When I have kids I'll use babysitters myself," she said.

All parents want a night off from looking after their children but it's very important to consider in whose hands you leave them.

As Phil Tavener advised: "The golden rule is think what your child needs and start from there."

CHILDMINDING - THE GOLDEN RULES:

Never leave babies or young children home alone even for a few minutes.

Don't leave children under 13 alone for more than a short time - most children this age are not able cope with an emergency.

No young person under 16 should be left alone overnight.

When choosing a babysitter or childminder follow your instincts. If you have any doubts about a babysitter, childminder or other carer, don't take them on.

Always ask for at least two references and check these carefully.

Choose a babysitter who is over 16. People under 16 cannot be held responsible for any harm that comes to a child in their care. Also, remember that some 16-year-olds may not be mature enough to look after a child.

All childminders should be registered with the local authority. For a list of registered childminders in the area, call the Children's Information Service on 0800 1698833.

Listen to your children. If they seem unhappy with the person who is looking after them, find someone else.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

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