Amanda Mathewson, a 30-year veteran childminder in Dunfermline, Fife, has been sentenced to two years in prison after admitting to wilfully neglecting, abandoning, and exposing children in her care. The case came to light when concerned parents discovered more than 20 children left unsupervised in her home.
Discovery of the Neglect
On 26 August 2024, a couple became suspicious when a friend mentioned their two children, aged one and three, were not with Mathewson during a school run. The parents parked opposite her house and watched as she left with two young girls in a pushchair. Approaching the front door, the father heard a child screaming inside. They entered through the back door and found a child crying under a table in severe distress. Upstairs, about a dozen young children were sitting on the floor of a spare bedroom, with another on a double bed, while a TV played loudly. Two others were tightly strapped into a buggy in an unsafe manner. The father described the room as hot, with no food, water, toys, or activities. When Mathewson returned, she slumped to the floor, and the father said her reaction was like a child caught misbehaving.
When police arrived, they found 15 children under 12, 10 under primary school age, and two under one year old in the home. Mathewson was arrested and charged. Subsequent investigations revealed that leaving children alone was commonplace, and some parents reported their children had not eaten or had dirty nappies. Mathewson played loud music and prevented parents from entering her home to hide her offending.
Sentencing and Impact
At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court, Sheriff John MacRitchie described Mathewson’s actions as a gross abuse of trust. He read victim impact statements from parents who described their children suffering from nightmares, anxiety, and distrust of childcare providers. One parent told how his daughter became distraught whenever they drove past Mathewson’s house, and another described her rummaging in a food waste bin at nursery. Mathewson had been a self-employed childminder for 30 years and was licensed to care for eight children under 16 at any one time.
A Care Inspectorate visit in August 2023 rated her service as very good, but an internal probe later found Mathewson had been tipped off about inspections by an unknown staff member. The regulator admitted it was likely she received confidential information, and the insider has not been identified. The Care Inspectorate has updated its procedures following feedback from affected parents.
Regulatory and Legal Fallout
Maria Lloyd, independent chairwoman of the Fife child protection committee, said a learning review would consider improvements to practice, processes, or partnership working. A Scottish government spokesperson said the Care Inspectorate had audited how complaints against Mathewson were handled and that work is ongoing with regulators to strengthen practice and transparency. Law firm Irwin Mitchell Scotland, representing several families, is exploring a civil case against the Care Inspectorate. Partner Kim Leslie said the failing was of a magnitude that defies belief and that parents want the regulator held to account.
The case has left many families questioning why the abuse went unnoticed for so long, with one parent asking simply: “Why?”
