Childminder who left 27 children alone in her home pleads guilty to neglect

A Dunfermline childminder has admitted leaving more than 20 children she was caring for alone and unsupervised in her home.

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

Her offending took place at a number of locations in Dunfermline and elsewhere in Fife.

The court heard Mathewson had 27 children in her home, 19 more than she was licensed to look after.

Mathewson, who has been a self-employed childminder for 30 years, was arrested by police following allegations of cruelty towards children.

The court heard she had provided childcare services at her home in Dunfermline for children under the age of 16.

At the time of her arrest she had 15 children aged under 12, 10 children under primary school age, and two children under the age of one in her care.

Procurator fiscal Vicki Bell told the court two parents became suspicious of Mathewson after being informed their children were not present while the childminder carried out a school run.

They secretly went to the school and found their children were not with Mathewson, despite being in her care.

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

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

They approached the door of the house to check if there were any adults present, when they hear another child "screaming hysterically" inside.

The door was unlocked, and when the witnesses entered they found a child crying under the kitchen table.

A further nine children, all under five, were found in an upstairs bedroom. Two of them were strapped into prams. The children were said to be "distressed" but uninjured.

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

The court heard ring doorbell footage showed it was the second time that day the children had been left inside the house.

During the police investigation, various children told their parents that being left alone in Mathewson's home was "commonplace".

Some parents told officers that their children became "upset" when they were taken to the childminder's home and those who could talk would say they did not want to go.

The investigation found discrepancies in the number of children in Matthewson's care and the number of children she was seen with on multiple occasions.

For example, Mathewson attended a church Christmas party with three children, despite having nine kids in her care that day.

The parents of the three children who were in attendance were sent a photo of their child with Santa, while the others were just sent a generic photo.

There were other occasions such as a sports day and a visit to Dunfermline fire station where Mathewson was seen with fewer children than she was responsible for.

Parents also raised concerns that their children had not eaten while in the childminder's care due to their clothes staying in "pristine condition" and it was a general theme that their children would return home thirsty.

Some parents also reported their children returned home in dirty nappies or with dry faeces in their underwear.

Court documents state that Mathewson always had loud music playing and did not let parents enter her home at drop off time in an attempt to "conceal how oversubscribed she was".

When the childminder was asked about the number of children in her care, or the whereabouts of certain children she claimed she was being assisted by a "child-minding friend".

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

The court heard she offered childcare places for more children than she could reasonably provide care for at the time.

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

It included conditions that a maximum of six children could be under the age of 12, no more than three could be under school age, and no more than one could be under 12-months-old.

The unannounced inspection from about a year before her arrest had rated areas including care, learning and the setting as "very good", the second-highest level in the quality scale.

The report said "children were cared for in a comfortable, welcoming and homely environment" and "were cared for with warmth, kindness and a nurturing approach".

A spokesperson for the Care Inspectorate said it was a "distressing case" and they had implemented changes as a result.

Police Scotland said it was a "complex investigation" that involved working with a number of partner agencies.

A force spokesperson said: "We remain wholly committed to supporting victims of crime and protecting children from harm and will use all available resources during our investigation.

"We urge anyone with concerns about a child protection matter to speak to police in the knowledge that you will be fully supported and listened to."

In a statement given to the BBC, one of the parents said: "The criminal case is important for justice. But our ultimate goal is to ensure no other family has to endure what we have been through. Our trust was broken, but our resolve is not.

"We have turned our pain into a purpose: to rebuild the system of childcare regulation and family support so that it is truly fit to protect Scotland's children."

Sheriff John MacRitchie deferred sentencing until 6 November to allow background reports to be carried out. Mathewson's bail was continued.