Childminder who left more than 20 children alone jailed for child neglect

Childminder who left more than 20 children alone jailed for child neglect Amanda Mathewson admitted a number of offences that took place at her home in Dunfermline, Fife, and other addresses in 2023 and 2024 A childminder who left kids unsupervised in a garden and had others strapped into prams has been sentenced. Amanda Mathewson, 55, admitted wilfully neglecting and abandoning children in her care. Mathewson looked after many more children than the eight she was allowed, with 27 found at her home in Dunfermline in Fife at one point. The offences took place at a number of addresses across the Scottish city and elsewhere between September 7, 2023, and August 26, 2024. A court heard some of the children in her care were less than a year old. Some of the kids were found unsupervised in the garden and others were strapped into prams in an upstairs room. Mathewson took "various steps" to deceive parents and organisations about her conduct. This included requiring parents to text her before coming to collect their children and keeping other children hidden inside rooms when they did so. At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court in October, Mathewson admitted wilfully neglecting, abandoning and exposing children in a manner likely to cause them unnecessary suffering or injury to their health. At the same court today, Sheriff John MacRitchie sentenced her to two years in prison. Mathewson, who was present in court and wearing a black dress, showed no emotion as the sentence was handed down. Dozens of parents attended the sentencing, while more than 20 watched via an online feed. Mathewson had worked as a self-employed childminder for about 30 years before she was arrested in August 2024. She had been given a glowing report by the Care Inspectorate following an unannounced inspection on August 7, 2023 – just weeks before her offending began. The report rated her "very good" on all measures, and said children were being cared for in a "comfortable, welcoming and homely environment" and with "warmth, kindness and a nurturing approach". It said: "Amanda Mathewson operates a childminding service from their home in a residential area of Dunfermline, Fife. The childminder may provide care to a maximum of eight children at any one time under the age of 16, of whom a maximum of six will be under 12, of whom no more than three are not yet attending primary school and of whom no more than one is under 12 months."