Children's mental health | Why it's vital to provide 'parental pillars' for employees with kids

Parents are becoming more anxious about their children’s mental health than ever before.

This is completely understandable when the number of children being referred to emergency mental health care in the UK has reportedly sky-rocketed, increasing by 53 percent in the last year alone.

Findings from Nuffield Health’s Healthier Nation Index – a survey of 8,000 UK adults – also identified that people with children cited mental health as one of the most present health challenges amongst their friends and family. This was particularly true for parents with children under 18 living at home.

Caregivers' concern over children’s mental health can lead to anxiety, lack of sleep, reduced focus, stress, and low mood. All of these can affect wellbeing and productivity, both in workers personal and professional lives. We also know that parents in the workplace dealing with children’s mental health issues are more likely to take absence days from work at short notice to support their family.