Childminder Who Left 27 Children Unsupervised Was a 'Master Manipulator,' Say Parents

A childminder who admitted multiple neglect charges after leaving 27 children alone and unsupervised at her home in Dunfermline was a "master manipulator" who concealed sustained abuse behind decades of cultivated trust, according to parents whose children she cared for.

Amanda Mathewson, 55, pleaded guilty at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on Tuesday to wilfully neglecting, abandoning and exposing children in a manner likely to cause them unnecessary suffering or injury to their health. She is due to be sentenced next month.

Families who spoke to BBC Scotland described how the self-employed childminder, who had operated for 30 years providing care for children under the age of 16, had been regarded as "one of the best in the area" before her crimes emerged.

"She was loved and trusted throughout the community," one parent told the BBC. "Building an apparently unshakeable reputation as friendly, caring and trustworthy with the adults she encountered outside her home was part of how she concealed what was happening."

Another parent, who considered Mathewson a "good friend," said the realisation of what had occurred had forced families to completely reassess years of their lives. "Finding out what happened was incredibly traumatic both for us and the other families," the parent told BBC Radio Scotland's Mornings programme. "We have had to rewrite eight years of history and have lost happy memories because the belief we had, that our children were being cared for, was not true. This woman was a master manipulator and she has got away with these things for years."

The scale of Mathewson's operation became apparent only when police arrested her following allegations of cruelty towards children. At the time of her arrest, she had 15 children aged under 12 in her care, along with 10 children under primary school age and two children under the age of one, according to court proceedings. The investigation uncovered significant discrepancies between the number of children she was registered to look after and the number she was observed with on multiple occasions.

Court documents revealed a pattern of deliberate deception designed to prevent scrutiny. Mathewson always played loud music and refused to allow parents inside her home at drop-off time, a tactic prosecutors said was intended to "conceal how oversubscribed she was." Parents raised concerns that their children had not eaten while in her care, noting that their clothes remained in "pristine condition" — an observation that became a recurring theme among families. It also became common for children to return home thirsty. Some parents reported that their children came home wearing dirty nappies or with dry faeces in their underwear.

Parents described noticing signs of distress and asking questions, but said Mathewson consistently pre-empted their worries with "a plausible explanation" that left them reassured. One parent characterised the deception as calculated and comprehensive: "This was sustained, deliberate deception that concealed neglect from families and professionals alike. If she could build and manipulate the trust of adults across an entire community so effectively, think about how little power babies and young children had behind those closed doors."

A Care Inspectorate report published in August 2023 stated that Mathewson was registered to provide care for a maximum of eight children at any one time. Her registration conditions limited her to no more than six children under the age of 12, a maximum of three under school age, and no more than one child under 12 months old. Despite these restrictions, the investigation revealed she had been looking after many more children than permitted.

An unannounced inspection conducted approximately a year before her arrest rated areas including care, learning and the setting as "very good" — the second-highest level on the quality scale. The inspection report described children as being "cared for in a comfortable, welcoming and homely environment" and "cared for with warmth, kindness and a nurturing approach." The positive assessment stands in stark contrast to the neglect that authorities later uncovered.

The case raises serious questions about the effectiveness of regulatory oversight and inspection regimes in detecting systematic failures in childcare provision, particularly when providers deliberately construct a facade of competence and warmth.

After suspicions were raised, parents worked together to gather evidence and present it to police, a collaborative effort that proved instrumental in building the case against Mathewson. One parent described the emotional toll of the aftermath: "I cannot tell you what the first few months were like after all of this came to light. Every single parent involved has gone over in their head every conversation and any comment their child ever made — anything at the time seemed innocent enough but in hindsight could be a red flag."

A spokesperson for the Care Inspectorate said the organisation regarded it as a "distressing case" and confirmed that changes had been implemented as a result of what happened. The spokesperson did not detail what specific reforms had been introduced.

The case has shocked the local community in Dunfermline, where Mathewson had built a reputation over three decades as a trusted figure. Parents described a sense of collective betrayal, with many now questioning how warning signs went unnoticed for so long. The severity of the charges — covering wilful neglect, abandonment and exposure of children to unnecessary suffering — means Mathewson faces a substantial sentence when she returns to court next month. The case also raises broader questions about how parents can verify the quality of childcare they rely on, and whether current inspection frameworks are sufficiently robust to catch those who actively work to evade scrutiny.