Childminder jailed two years for neglecting more than 20 children

Summarised from 6 outlets · Updated 6 Nov, 15:13 · Archive

Amanda Mathewson, 55, was jailed for two years after admitting to wilfully neglecting children in her care in Dunfermline, Fife.

Amanda Mathewson, 55, a childminder in Dunfermline, Fife, has been sentenced to two years in prison after admitting to wilfully neglecting and abandoning children in her care. She was licensed to look after a maximum of eight children but regularly cared for significantly more. At one point, 27 children were found at her home.

The offences took place at various addresses in Dunfermline and elsewhere between 7 September 2023 and 26 August 2024. They involved children under 16, with some less than a year old. Some children were found unsupervised in the garden, while others were strapped into prams in an upstairs room, described by the court as 'obviously distressed'.

Mathewson employed various methods to conceal her conduct from parents and organisations. She required parents to text her before coming to collect their children, allowing her to hide other children in rooms during visits. When parents noticed their children were not with her during a school run on 26 August 2024, they returned to her home and found the front door unlocked. They discovered five school-aged children unsupervised in the garden and two very young children strapped in pushchairs upstairs in a distressed state.

Other parents reported noticing their children coming home thirsty or with immaculate clothing, despite Mathewson claiming they had eaten 'messy meals'. According to the reports, Mathewson had worked as a self-employed childminder for about 30 years before her arrest.

Sentencing her at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on Friday, Sheriff John MacRitchie said she had committed a 'gross abuse of a position of trust' and 'knowingly' created a situation in which 'injury, terror and neglect were obvious and foreseeable'. The sheriff noted that on one occasion, she had left children without adult supervision for at least 30 minutes, with this being the second such incident on the same day. More than 90 victim impact statements were submitted by those affected.

The Care Inspectorate had given Mathewson a glowing report following an unannounced inspection on 7 August 2023, just weeks before her offending began. An internal probe was later conducted after a staff member tipped off the inspectorate about her breaching the terms of her licence. Concerned parents also spotted her leaving her home without children in her care.

Dozens of parents attended the sentencing hearing, with more than 20 watching via an online feed. Maria Lloyd, independent chairwoman of the Fife child protection committee, said a 'learning review' would take place in the wake of the case.

How it is being reported

• Childminder who left more than 20 kids home alone is jailed in ‘shocking’ caseAmanda Mathewson (left) in Kirkcaldy before the childminder was jailed at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court (Picture: PA) A childminder who took on so many kids that some had to be strapped into prams upstairs or left in the garden has been jailed for two years. Amanda Mathewson, 55, was only legally…Metro · 6 Nov, 14:53
• Childminder who neglected children and deceived parents jailedAt one point, 27 children were found to be in the care of Amanda Mathewson at her home in Dunfermline, Fife.Evening Standard · 6 Nov, 14:35
• Childminder who left more than 20 children alone jailed for child neglectAmanda Mathewson admitted a number of offences that took place at her home in Dunfermline, Fife, and other addresses in 2023 and 2024The Mirror · 6 Nov, 12:44
• Disgraced childminder who wilfully neglected children in her care jailed for two yearsA childminder who admitted regularly neglecting and abandoning children in her care has been jailed for two years. Amanda Mathewson, 55, was only allowed to look after eight children, but often had many more. At one point, 27 were found at her home in Dunfermline, Fife. Some of the children were found unsupervised in the garden, while others were strapped into prams in an upstairs room. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say This is a breaking story, more to follow... LATEST DEVELOPMENTS Our Standards: The GB News Editorial CharterGB News · 6 Nov, 11:56
• Childminder who left 27 children in her home alone and unsupervised is jailed for two yearsAmanda Mathewson, 55, looked after many more children than the eight she was allowed, and at one point 27 were found at her home in Dunfermline, Fife.Daily Mail · 6 Nov, 11:56
• Childminder who neglected more than 20 children jailedA childminder who admitted wilfully neglecting and abandoning children in her care has been jailed for two years.Sky News · 6 Nov, 11:20

In this story: Amanda Mathewson · Sheriff John MacRitchie · Dunfermline · Fife · Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court · Care Inspectorate · Maria Lloyd · Fife child protection committee

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log