Kids have to be 14 here (NZ) to be able to baby sit legally another family's children

But if parent/s have arranged a neighbour to be about and aware, and children know who to call and how long parent is out for, then children can be left "home alone"

I agree, Irulan, people grossly UNDERestimate what children are capable of. They are very competent creatures, and safety issues and PC-ification have trained us to forget that in much of the western world.