Childminder who neglected and abandoned children jailed for two years
Youngsters found unsupervised, with 27 at one point in her home
A childminder who admitted wilfully neglecting and abandoning children in her care engaged in a “course of deception” to hide her offending from parents, a judge has said.
Amanda 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.
Some of the children were found unsupervised in the garden and others were strapped into prams in an upstairs room.
Evidence showed she had “repeatedly” left children at her home unsupervised.
Sentencing her at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on Friday, Sheriff John MacRitchie said more than 90 victim impact statements had been submitted by those affected.
The offences took place at a number of addresses in Dunfermline and elsewhere between September 7 2023 and August 26 2024.
They all involved children under 16 – with some being less than a year old.
Mathewson used “various steps” to conceal her wrongdoing from parents and organisations.
These included requiring parents to text her before coming to collect their children, and keeping other children hidden inside rooms when they did so.
Concerns were raised when some parents noticed their children – who she was meant to be looking after – were not with her when she made a school run on August 26 2024.
When they went to her home they found the front door unlocked and five school-aged children waiting in the garden.
Sheriff MacRitchie said: “Upstairs was a group of very young children – including the parents’ sons.
“Two children were strapped in pushchairs.
“The children were described as obviously distressed.”
He told Mathewson: “You have left children without adult supervision for – on that occasion – at least 30 minutes.
“That was the second occasion on that same day the children had been left alone.”
Other parents had noticed their children were coming home thirsty, or with immaculate clothing despite Mathewson claiming they had eaten “messy meals”.
Mathewson had worked as a self-employed childminder for about 30 years before she was arrested in August 2024.
At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court in October, she 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 on Friday, Sheriff MacRitchie sentenced her to two years in prison.
Handing down his sentence, the judge told Mathewson: “Your qualifications and experience mean you understand the developmental vulnerability of babies and young children, the need for constant supervision, (and) the obvious risks created by leaving them without an adult.
“The potential for catastrophic harm was enormous.”
He said her conduct involved “planning and premeditation”, and that she had “followed a course of deception and has taken various steps to avoid parents being aware of the fact that far too many children are being accepted into her care”.
He told her only a custodial sentence is appropriate.
“A non-custodial sentence would fail to reflect the seriousness of the offence, and fail properly to punish, and fail to express society’s grave disapproval of your conduct,” the judge said.
Mathewson, who was present in court and wearing a black dress, showed no emotion as the sentence was handed down.
Earlier Mathewson’s lawyer Alan Jackson had described his client as a “people pleaser” who couldn’t say “no” to parents even if she was fully booked.
However the sheriff rejected this, saying since she was getting paid for the extra children her actions had been for “financial gain”.
Dozens of parents attended the sentencing, and they quietly celebrated in the public gallery when Mathewson was jailed.
More than 20 watched proceedings on an online feed.
Speaking afterwards, one parent told the Press Association that “justice has been done today”.
“We feel quite gratified that the sheriff has clearly recognised the seriousness of the offence and the period of offending and the potential risks to the children,” she said.
“We’ve fought from the very beginning to actually have the whole situation taken seriously.”
Another parent said: “One of the hardest parts for me has been rebuilding the trust with my children, because they believed we knew what was happening and chose to send them anyway.”
She said one of her children had been left to change babies’ nappies, and had to “sneak biscuits because they didn’t get to eat anything”.
She added: “We are all working professionals. We needed flexible, affordable childcare, and that allowed (Mathewson) to pull the wool over our eyes because we needed her.”
Mathewson 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”.
Following sentencing, a spokesperson for the Care Inspectorate said: “This was a shocking case and our thoughts are with those affected.
“Amanda Mathewson broke the trust of families and children, and the crime for which she is responsible has been dealt with by the courts.
“The Care Inspectorate has listened carefully to parents who raised concerns with us and we have reviewed how we work following learning from this case.
“This has included updating our inspection, complaints and conflict of interest procedures.
“We have provided new ways to submit feedback on childminders both during and out-with inspections.
“We have also provided clearer resources to help families understand what to expect from their childminder.
“It is important to note that this case does not reflect the wider childminding sector. The overwhelming majority of childminders in Scotland provide safe, nurturing care for children, with more than 90% receiving grades of good or better at inspection.”
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