Childminder Pleads Guilty After Leaving 27 Children Alone in Her Home

Five children were found alone in a garden and a further nine, all under five, were discovered inside a Dunfermline home after their childminder left them unsupervised.

Amanda Mathewson, 55, has pleaded guilty to neglect and abandoning children in her care at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court.

The court heard she had 27 children in her care — more than three times the eight-child limit she was registered to provide.

Mathewson's offending took place at a number of locations in Dunfermline and elsewhere in Fife.

Children found alone

Procurator fiscal Vicki Bell told the court that two parents became suspicious after being informed their children were not with Mathewson during a school run.

The parents went to the school and discovered that their children were not there with the childminder.

They then went to Mathewson's home, where they heard a child screaming and found five children unattended in the garden.

One of the children told them there were no adults inside and that Mathewson had told them to "wait in the garden".

The parents approached the house and found the door unlocked.

Inside, they heard another child "screaming hysterically" and found a child crying underneath the kitchen table.

A further nine children, all under five, were discovered in an upstairs bedroom.

Two of the children were strapped into prams.

The children were described in court as distressed but uninjured.

Children left alone for at least 30 minutes

Police attended the property and Mathewson told officers the children had been left alone for at least 30 minutes.

The court heard Ring doorbell footage showed this was the second time that day the children had been left alone inside the house.

At the time, Mathewson was caring for:

• 15 children aged under 12

• 10 children below primary school age

• Two children under the age of one

She had been working as a self-employed childminder for around 30 years and provided childcare for children under 16 at her home in Dunfermline.

Registered for a maximum of eight children

A Care Inspectorate report published in August 2023 stated that Mathewson was registered to care for a maximum of eight children at any one time.

The registration placed additional limits on the ages of the children.

No more than six could be under the age of 12, no more than three could have started primary school and no more than one could be under 12 months old.

The number of children in her care at the time of the incident was therefore substantially above her registered limit.

Mathewson admitted wilfully neglecting, abandoning and exposing children to circumstances likely to cause them unnecessary suffering or injury to their health.

Previous inspection rated care "very good"

The court also heard about an unannounced Care Inspectorate inspection carried out around a year before her arrest.

At that inspection, areas including care, learning and the setting were rated "very good", the second-highest level on the quality scale.

The report said children were cared for in a comfortable, welcoming and homely environment and described the care as warm, kind and nurturing.

The previous inspection was separate from the circumstances that led to Mathewson's criminal prosecution.

Arrest followed allegations of cruelty

Mathewson was arrested by police following allegations concerning the treatment of children in her care.

The court has now heard her guilty plea to neglect and abandoning children.

Her plea means the offences have been admitted, although the court has not yet imposed a sentence.

Sentencing deferred

Sheriff John MacRitchie deferred sentencing until 6 November to allow background reports to be prepared.

Mathewson's bail was continued.

The court will consider those reports before deciding the appropriate sentence.

Mathewson will return to Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court for sentencing on 6 November.