What does the law in Manitoba say about supervising children?

Section 17(2)(g) of Manitoba’s Child and Family Services Act states ”…a child is in need of protection where the child being under the age of 12 years, is left unattended and without reasonable provision being made for the supervision and safety of the child.”

In spite of the province's assurance to the contrary, this law has been interpreted by many to mean that children under 12 need direct adult supervision at all times. Individual attitudes as well as child care and school policies are frequently based on this perception.

Isn't this law required to keep children safe?

Though laws like this play an important part in protecting children, the way it is currently interpreted and enforced is having an unforeseen negative impact on the health and well-being of Manitoba children. When healthy independence is portrayed as undesirable or irresponsible, families feel judged and opportunities for independent play decline. However, the evidence indicates that the health and development consequences of too much supervision are more harmful, and more likely, than the dangers we are trying to avoid:

  • Driving children isn’t necessarily safer

    • Dr. Mariana Brussoni, Associate Professor at UBC and developmental psychologist, researches injury prevention and outdoor play. She says: “While research shows parents most fear that their child will be hit by a car or kidnapped if they walk to school alone, they are at greater risk of injury by being in a car… ‘Paradoxically, parents don’t realize that putting a child in a car and driving to school actually puts them at greater risk of injury.’”

  • Our fears aren’t always based on reality

    • Canadian Public Health Association: “…safety concerns (around children being on their own) appear to be largely unfounded as the odds of child abduction by a stranger are extremely rare (1 in 14 million), and children are 8 times more likely to be involved in a motor vehicle accident as a passenger than as a pedestrian”.

  • Unnecessary limits are harmful to kids’ development

    • ParticipACTION: "Hyper-parenting limits physical activity and can harm mental health", and "Kids with ready access to unsupervised outdoor play have better-developed motor skills, social behaviour, independence and conflict resolution skills"

  • National Public Health wants to see the stigma around independent outdoor play disappear

    • The Public Health Agency of Canada is calling on Canadian society to “Remove stigmas and stereotypes around letting children play outdoors alone (where parents may feel judged or labelled for letting children play on their own)…” (Strategic Imperative 1.4)

  • If children can’t get around on their own, this typically means they will be driven, which creates new problems

    • If we are completely reliant on vehicles to get kids around, even for short trips, we make traffic, air pollution, and the climate crisis worse. It also means kids aren’t as active, and increases the amount of time caregivers must devote to transporting children.

What do you mean by “healthy independence”?

Children learn independence gradually, and as they get older and show us that they are ready for a new step towards independence, it is important for parents to be able to trust their knowledge of their child’s competence and maturity, their child’s cues of readiness, and their assessment of the circumstances to make an appropriate decision. When a child is ready, and the circumstances are reasonably safe, yet we deny them the chance to grow and become competent, we teach them that the world is not safe, and that they should not trust their own judgement. Many adults today remember how meaningful and formative it was to earn their parents’ trust as they showed signs of readiness for increased independence, and the ecstatic feeling of having accomplished something on their own that they had never done before.

Where can I learn more about healthy independence?

Our Links and Resources page has tools and information that we think will help people to understand why healthy independence is so important.

How can I support healthy childhood independence in my community?

We have a whole page devoted to actions that individuals and organizations can take! Check them out here.