Does your insurance cover them too?

What would life look like if your child, out of the blue, became seriously ill? A parent's worst nightmare and something we all tend to put to the back of our minds.

What if we told you there was a life insurance policy where you could get the best of both worlds? Critical illness insurance with added children's cover is a policy that can cover your children and yourself.


The part no one talks about

As a parent, few scenarios could be more frightening than the prospect of your child falling seriously ill. If you’re a Mum or Dad, you’ve probably thought about the emotional impact it could have on you and your family. But what about the financial implications?

While grappling with the reality of your child being critically ill, mundane tasks such as paying the bills and keeping up with mortgage payments seem inconsequential. Sadly, life doesn’t stop for illness.

But imagine a safety net that protects you and covers your children too. Children’s critical illness cover can help reduce the financial impact of your child becoming critically ill.

What is children's critical illness cover?

Children’s critical illness cover is not a life insurance policy that you can choose as a standalone policy. Instead, it’s usually an add-on to your own critical illness policy.

Some providers even automatically include children’s critical illness cover within your policy, meaning that you won’t pay any more for your cover. However, you’d still benefit from the extra layer of security.

The gap in your safety net

You might already have income protection or critical illness cover.

These policies are designed to safeguard your finances if you have to stop work due to illness or injury or fall critically ill. But these policies can often overlook the impact of a child's illness on your earning potential. In fact, it could be as significant, if not more, as your own illness.

If your child became seriously ill, it could mean full-time care at home and regular hospital visits. Yes, remote work might be an option, but could you really focus on work with all of that going on?

Even more cover

Alongside the extra peace of mind, having children’s critical illness cover in place often comes with its own added benefits.

For example, many of the top providers will pay out a select amount to help contribute towards funeral costs. If the worst case scenario happened and your child was to pass away from a critical illness, Legal and General could pay out £4000 towards funeral costs.



What can children’s critical illness insurance cover?

The illnesses you’re covered for may vary depending on your chosen provider. But some of the main conditions you’ll typically see covered by a children’s critical illness policy are:

• Down’s syndrome
• Type 1 diabetes
• Cancer
• Cystic fibrosis
• Heart attack
• Cerebral palsy
• HIV
• Heart disease
• Stroke

What’s included in your cover?

Some of the UK’s leading life insurance providers, such as Legal and General and Scottish Widows, include children’s critical illness cover at no extra cost when you take out a critical illness policy with them.*

Other life insurance providers, such as LV, AIG, and Royal London, give you the option to include children’s critical illness cover for an additional cost.*

It’s worth noting that with children’s critical illness insurance, many of the UK’s top providers usually include legally adopted children and stepchildren, as well as natural children too.

How can children’s critical illness cover help you?


Suppose the worst-case scenario happens, and your child becomes ill. In that case, your entire focus should be on your child's recovery and well-being. The last thing that should be on your mind is worrying about bills and the financial impact of having to take time off work.

Unfortunately, this is a reality faced by many parents caught off-guard by the sudden onset of a child's critical illness. Here are some examples of what you could use the money for:

• Travel expenses to go to hospital
• Help make up for lost income, if you were unable to work due to your child’s illness
• Treating your family and loved ones to a day out whilst they recover
• Paying for any changes you may need to make to your home

Does your policy cover them?


If you have a critical illness policy that doesn’t include your children - we could help you switch. 


Our life insurance experts have years of experience recommending life insurance policies for parents, business owners, homeowners - the list goes on.

Taking out children's critical illness cover now, could potentially save you from a huge financial strain later down the line.

What’s your priority?

You insure your homes, your cars, even your holidays – now is the time to consider safeguarding your loved ones as well.

With the right cover in place, you could have peace of mind that you and your children would be financially protected if critical illness were to suddenly strike.

If you’re still without the proper financial protection. Please don’t wait. Start your life insurance journey today! 

*Correct at the time of writing (July 2023)