The mother may have no choice but to work she has possibly exhausted holiday leave and “sick days” already and is on final warnings! Going to work may be the main family income and no one would be helped if on top of other issues she also lost the family income! It’s not kind to assume that her going off to work was done in a carefree way?
Legally there is no age set in law for a child to be safely left alone and to be fair we don’t know the child’s exact age as OP was just guessing
Also the school exclusion process will mean that social services will already be aware the education social work department will know about him
If you do speak to the parents at any point direct them to this excellent source of free legal advice for education issues it’s a legal charity called CORAM
This is what they do
Coram Children’s Legal Centre, part of the Coram group of charities, promotes and protects the rights of children in the UK and internationally in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Experts in all areas of children’s rights, immigration, child protection, education and juvenile justice, we:
Provide legal advice and representation,
Research and produce evidence informing law, policy, practice and system reform.
Build the capacity of professionals and practitioners through training and advice provision.
Challenge laws and policies that negatively impact on children and their rights.
CCLC provides free legal information, advice and representation to children, young people, their families, carers and professionals, as well as international consultancy on child law and children’s rights.
Our values
Respect. All children deserve respect as legally autonomous beings with equal human rights.
Equality. All children are equal regardless of gender, race, nationality, disability, culture or religion.
Access to justice. All children have a right to legal information, advice, representation and support.
Our aims and objectives
To promote and uphold children’s human rights within the context of UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the European Convention on Human Rights in the UK and internationally.
To monitor and develop law, policy and practice concerning children and young people, to inform and influence policy makers and the general public.
To improve access to justice through legal advice, information and representation for children, young people and adults working on their behalf.
To publish a range of legal guides and information on child law, policy and practice.
To research the field of child law to assist policy reform and the application of law relating to children.
To provide technical expertise and training programmes to states, inter-governmental organisations, non-governmental organisations and United Nations agencies.
Launched in 1981 as The Children’s Legal Centre, the charity amalgamated with Coram on the 1 September 2011. CCLC is a member of the Coram group of charities, benefiting from shared expertise and infrastructure, and working towards a common goal of improved chances for all vulnerable children.