And two mothers of sons aged 12 and 14 have raised concerns about their children’s safety, as one was found drunk at St Brelade’s Bay, while the other has been mixing with drug users and running away from home.
This week the NSPCC urged parents to think carefully before leaving their children unattended during the school holidays.
Last summer the charity’s national helpline received 453 calls and emails from adults concerned about young people being left alone.
More than three-quarters of the calls were passed on to the police or social services.
In Jersey there is no law stating at what age children are allowed to be left alone.
Sue Fernandes, senior youth worker with the Jersey Youth Service, said: ‘During the holidays the majority of young people use the time to replenish themselves by spending time with friends, often outdoors, having fun.
‘However, for some young people the thought of a six-week holiday is rather daunting.
‘Some miss the security of having a routine and support from their teachers and the summer holidays can feel rather long and lonely.’
To try to support young people during the holidays the Jersey Youth Service is running a 31 Days of Summer programme, which provides young people with 31 mental, fun and physical challenges during their six weeks off school.
Meanwhile, one mother is calling on both the States and honorary police to patrol the bays around the Island over the next six weeks after her 12-year-old son was found dripping wet and drunk on a beach.
She is also encouraging parents to download a free app called Life360, which notifies family members where one another is during the day,
The mother, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: ‘Two hours after I dropped my son off with his friends, I got a phone call from some older children who knew him saying they thought he had been drinking and was on the beach on his own.
‘He had passed out, which meant he could have cracked his head on a rock, or the tide could have come in and covered him. It doesn’t bear thinking about.’
Another mother is also urging the States police to do more when young people run away from home. Her 14-year-old son has been missing for up to seven days at a time and has mixed with drug users, thieves and drunk alcohol.
