21% of parents have taken short notice annual leave to care for an ill child, MetLife UK finds

More than a fifth (21%) of parents took annual leave or sick leave at short notice to care for an ill or injured child, according to research from MetLife UK.

Its Everyday Risk Report found 57% of parents with a child under 18 had faced at least one work, childcare or financial issue after their child became ill or was injured.

Among parents who took time off, 15% experienced stress or anxiety about the financial impact.

A further 11% sent a child back to school or childcare while they were still unwell because they could not afford to take more time off work.

Phil Jeynes, head of individual protection at MetLife UK, said: “We get it – parents are often forced to make tough decisions about household spending.

“With the cost of raising a family on the rise, protection insurance may not feel like a financial priority for cash-strapped parents, and many think of insurance as a last resort rather than something which can help protect the everyday.

“Protection is not only about what happens in a worst-case scenario; it can help with the more common disruptions that put household budgets under pressure – a broken bone, a hospital stay, a child’s illness, or a short period away from work.”

Jeynes added: “And it also includes useful extras such as 24 hour GP access, meaning parents can jump the queue and get their child access to care at any hour.