“Children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future” John F Kennedy once famously said, and most parents would agree that it’s vital we do everything we can to ensure their rights and freedoms are protected. National Children’s Day will take place on Sunday 14th May and is all about the importance of children and young people. It focuses on events and activities to celebrate work that supports child and family wellbeing, so that our children can grow into happy and healthy adults. The Day was originally established by the UN General Assembly in 1954, and in some countries is held on 20th November. It is held in May in the UK as the weather is usually better then, enabling children to get outside.
Challenges of raising children
Whilst children are undoubtedly a blessing, bringing them up comes with its own unique set of challenges. In today’s post-Covid lockdown world, it can feel harder than ever, especially with school strikes to contend with, and the cost of living crisis making it much more difficult for families to make ends meet. However, parents may find they have access to help from some unexpected sources, including their life insurance policies. Whilst your life insurance provider will not be able to encourage your child to get their homework in on time, or help them remember their PE kits each week, there are things they can do to add real value to both parents and children. For example, extra benefits offered by many life insurance providers may include the following: • Counselling and/or health and wellbeing services.If you are struggling and need advice as a parent whether that be with managing behaviours, family relationships or getting advice on health and lifestyle matters, many providers can be a surprising source of assistance. Not only that, but if your child is struggling, counselling can also be available for them directly. Being able to talk to someone who isn’t a parent about bullying, exam anxiety, family relationships, or any other issue that is upsetting them could really help, with extra advice and support usually only a phone call away.• GP access. Getting an appointment with the GP can be tricky, and many parents will have experienced their children falling ill outside of GP hours and often on a bank holiday weekend! Many life insurance providers include remote GP access 24/7 as a benefit in their policies, which can be a game changer for parents who are struggling to see their local GP.• Rewards and discounts. Some protection providers even offer rewards and discounts on fun family activities. For example, Vitality offers a wide range of rewards and benefits in return for policyholders demonstrating they are living healthy lives. These can range from free cinema tickets, as well as discounts on sports shoes and gym membership.• Bereavement support. On a more serious note, life insurance policies can also offer great emotional and financial support to your children should you pass away during the policy term. Many providers offer grief counselling and family support in the wake of a claim, which can prove invaluable as they come to terms with your loss.
Review your cover
Life insurance and other types of protection, such as income protection or critical illness cover, can provide some very obvious ways of protecting your children, but it’s important not to underestimate the other benefits they can provide. Should you need to make a claim, cover can take away financial pressures and give your loved ones more choices and options to help them navigate a difficult time, but these types of policy can also provide more practical help even if you never claim. If you are not sure what your policy offers, or are interested in reviewing cover to ensure your family is protected, please get in touch with one of our protection specialists who will be happy to help. Our protection advisers can help with expert advice on 0808 292 0555.
