Should kids be allowed to roam alone?

'Free-range kids' ... Danielle and Alexander Meitiv are accused of neglecting their children, Rafi and Dvora. Picture: Facebook/Danielle Meitiv Source: Supplied

SHOULD children be allowed to roam unsupervised?

Parents Danielle and Alexander Meitiv think so, but their 'free-range parenting' style has sparked debate in the US.

Child Protective Services is investigating the Maryland couple after their children, Rafi, 10, and Dvora, six, were found alone in a park about 5pm Sunday local time, NBC Washington reported.

'Free-range kids' ... Rafi, 10, and Dvora, six, are allowed to do things on their own. Picture: Facebook/Danielle Meitiv Source: Supplied

The anti-helicopter parents allow their children to play outdoors and walk home without adult supervision, believing that youngsters learn self-reliance by experiencing the world on their own.

Authorities, however, don't agree.

After a concerned passer-by called police on Sunday, the children were taken into custody.

It wasn't until 8pm — about three hours later — that CPS let the Meitivs know their kids were safe.

The couple, who expected their offspring home by 6.30pm, searched frantically for the missing youngsters.

When the children were returned five hours later, the parents were forced to sign a "safety plan".

The police coerced our children into the back of a patrol car, telling them they would drive them home. They kept the...
Posted by Danielle Meitiv on Monday, April 13, 2015

The couple first made headlines in December after their children were spotted walking home from a park alone.

After a lengthy investigation, the Meitivs were found guilty of "unsubstantiated child neglect" last month.

An "unsubstantiated" ruling occurs when CPS has "some information supporting a finding of child neglect" but the evidence is not conclusive.

While it's not a criminal charge, the ruling means officials can keep a file on the family for at least five years.

Being watched ... Child Protective Services has a file on the Meitivs. Picture: Facebook/Danielle Meitiv Source: Supplied

The Meitivs hit out at the decision, saying they were responsible parents and would continue to let their children go out unsupervised.

They often send their children out wearing 'I am not lost' tags around their necks.

"We don't feel it was appropriate for an investigation to start, much less conclude that we are responsible for some form of child neglect," Danielle Meitiv, an oceanographer, told The Washington Post.

"What will happen next time? We don't know if we will get caught in this Kafkaesque loop again."

Pre-emptive strike ... the Meitiv children wear tags that say 'I am not lost'. Picture: Facebook/Danielle Meitiv Source: Supplied

The couple is appealing the latest ruling.

Police say they will decide whether the Meitivs will face charges following an investigation.

The case has generated strong reactions about what constitutes responsible parenting and whether the government has overstepped its role.