How would your family cope financially if your child had to spend time in hospital? Q&A with a child insurance expert.

[EllieSmumsnet]

If your child breaks a bone, or has to stay overnight at a hospital there are a number of unexpected costs that might pile on the stress, from long parking fees to hospital food, travel or even additional childcare. But how would that impact your household income? Would you be covered by your employer or would you need to rely on savings or other support? We know this is a scary thing to think about but child protection insurance like ChildShield by MetLife is designed to offer peace of mind by helping cover costs when you need it most.

We’re joined by Phil Jeynes, Head of Individual Protection at MetLife, for a Q&A on child insurance. Whether you're unsure how it works, what it covers, or if it’s right for your family, we want to hear your questions. Phil will be back over the next few weeks to respond to some of your queries.

If you would like to get financial advice on any of the issues raised here, please speak to your own financial adviser, or find one at unbiased.co.uk.

• Ask your questions below by 11/06/2025 to be entered into our prize draw for the chance to win a £200 voucher of your choice.
• Phil Jeynes will be back soon to answer some of your questions.

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

In 2024 MetLife paid 94% of Individual Protection claims. This included c.27,000
Accident & Health claims, over 6,500 of which were for children. The main
reason a claim would not be accepted would be if it is not covered in your
policy terms and conditions. For example, broken bones are covered, but
microfractures and soft tissue injuries are not. You can read more about what
is and isn't covered with a ChildShield policy here:
https://www.metlife.co.uk/customer/accident-illness/child-cover-insurance/

ChildShield pays out per day that your child stays in hospital in the UK as an in-patient, due to accidents that happen from the policy start date - and, after 12 months, for other medical (non-accident) reasons. In the scenario you mentioned, if an old injury that happened before the policy started meant the child had to go into hospital for in-patient treatment, that would be covered from 12 months after the policy start date.

ChildShield pays out per day that your child stays in a hospital, due to accidents that happen from the policy start date. It doesn't matter what the accident was, what the injury is, or what the treatment/procedure is, as long as it's in a hospital in the UK as an in-patient for at least 24 hours. Thanks jacqui5366

Hospital stays as an in-patient due to ilness would be covered after 12 months of the policy being in place, regardless of when the diagnosis was made. If an old injury from an accident that happened before the policy started meant the child had to go into hospital for in-patient treatment, that would be covered from 12 months after the policy start date.

The cover for cancer, benign brain tumour, type 1 diabetes, bacterial meningitis and rheumatic fever starts 90 days after the policy start date. So if the child had previously been diagnosed with that condition or had already started tests which led to a diagnosis of that condition before Day 90, the policy wouldn't pay out for that. Thanks for the great question :)

Hi prawncocktailcrisps With ChildShield, it's one policy that covers all your children up until their 23rd birthday, no matter how many you have or how old they are. The premium is either £6/month for a ChildShield Standard policy, or £11/month for a ChildShield Plus policy and the amount doesn't change as they get older, no matter how many times you may have claimed!

Great question @problembottom, ChildShield will likely work differently to your healthcare plan. It's an insurance policy that provides a lump sum pay out if your child suffers a broken bone, is admitted to hospital or is diagnosed with certain serious conditions. This way it helps to cover expenses like parking, hospital food, taking time off work and other costs that you might face at that time.

Hi @DenDenDenise - Most of our protection products have been built for people like you who want a financial cushion if unexpected costs arise, but who don't necessarily have access to benefits through their employer. I do want to stress that our ChildShield product isn't an income protection product so it isn't designed to replace your income, nor does it matter what your employment basis is.

ChildShield pays out a lump sum if any of your eligible children aged under 23 break a bone, have to stay in hospital as an in-patient for 24 hours or more, are diagnosed with one of five serious illness, suffer paralysis or a serious burn due to an accident.

Hi @CarmellaSopranosKitchen we don't ask any medical questions. One policy covers all your children and runs up until their 23rd birthday.

Hey @Fancyquickthinker , The benefits from your ChildShield policy are not linked to your expenses, so we don't need to see receipts. Nor is it an income replacement policy, so we don't need any details of your employment/income.

ChildShield pays out a lump sum if any of your eligible children aged under 23 break a bone, have to stay in hospital as an in-patient for 24 hours or more, are diagnosed with one of five serious illness, suffer paralysis or a serious burn due to an accident. You can see more details on the range of payout amounts here:
https://www.metlife.co.uk/customer/accident-illness/child-cover-insurance/

Hi @TheBig50 , ChildShield is a standalone child policy - i.e. it covers your children. It is designed to help you cope financially with the unexpected costs and disruption to family life by paying you a lump sum if your child suffers a broken bone, is admitted to hospital or is diagnosed with certain serious conditions. In the scenario you discuss, ChildShield could provide a payout for the days your child is admitted to hospital. Please note it is not an income protection policy and doesn't cover you.

Hi @LondonPapa , ChildShield isn't private medical insurance. Instead, it's afforable protection cover that can help take the pressure off your finances in the short term. ChildShield covers your children, not you the parent/policyholder. It pays a lump sum payment if your child suffers a broken bone, has to stay in hospital, or is diagnosed with one of a list of serious conditions.

You can read about the benefits of ChildShield and how it helps families on our website:https://www.metlife.co.uk/customer/accident-illness/child-cover-insurance/

Great question @pushchairprincess , MetLife Europe D.A.C (trading as MetLife) are the provider and underwriter of this product. You can read more about it here: https://www.metlife.co.uk/customer/accident-illness/child-cover-insurance/

Hi @MumC2141 1, ChildShield is proving popular with parents of children with long term conditions for that very reason! - after you've had the policy for 12 months, it pays out for each hospital admission of at least 24 hours for illness, even if that illness is a known, pre-existing condition.
ChildShield also pays a lump sum on broken bones or hospitalisations due to accidents from Day 1 of the policy.

After 90 days from the policy start date, there's cover for 5 serious illnesses too: cancer, benign brain tumour, type 1 diabetes, bacterial meningitis and rheumatic fever. If if the child had previously been diagnosed with that condition or had already started tests which led to a diagnosis of that condition before Day 90, the policy wouldn't pay out for that. But you could still claim for the hospital stays for the treatment. You can read more in our terms and conditions for the specifics. See from page 12.

https://www.metlife.co.uk/content/dam/metlifecom/uk/pdf/childshield/3026-metlife-childshield-t-cs.pdf

Hi @Runningshorts , in 2024 we paid 27,112 claims for our protection portfolio, that's over £27 million pounds paid to our customers. Again, in 2024 we paid 94% of claims. We only decline claims if they don't meet the criteria. For ChildShield, we pay out for broken bones, hospitalisation and some serious conditions.

The eligability criteria can be found from page 9 here in our terms and conditions:
https://www.metlife.co.uk/content/dam/metlifecom/uk/pdf/childshield/3026-metlife-childshield-t-cs.pdf

Hi, it is simple to make a claim. You just need to call or email our Claims team and they'll ask you for some intial details of what has happened, to check it is covered under your MetLife policy(ies).

If it is, they'll send you a claim form to complete and they'll advise any medical evidence we'll need. For example, a written diagnosis from a qualified medical practitioner, or a confirmation of the admission date and discharge date from the hospital. You can notify us of the claim at any time as long as the policy was in-force when the event happened. We don't impose a time limit on submitting the claim.

Hi @DanBenandBud , the policy doesn't cover dental treatment outside of hospital. However, ChildShield pays out per day that your child stays in a hospital, due to accidents that happen from the policy start date. It doesn't matter what the accident was, what the injury is, or what the treatment/procedure is, as long as it's in a hospital in the UK as an in-patient for at least 24 hours. So if your child had an accident that meant they had to be admitted to hospital for treatment of dental injuries, that hospital stay would be covered.

Good question @ketchuporbrownsauce . With ChildShield (unlike many traditional policies), there are no limits on the number of broken bones per claim, the number of claims per year, or even the number of children covered by the same policy, so it's well suited for sporty children!

Thanks for the question, no it's not. The one policy covers all your eligible children aged under 23, even those that may not live at the same address as you. ChildShield Standard is £6 per month; ChildShield Plus is £11/month - double the cover for less than double the premium.

Hi @WorriedMamma2 , great questions.

Firstly on claims, the claims process is straightforward. You just need to call or email our Claims team and they'll ask you for some intial details of what has happened, to check it is covered under your MetLife policy(ies). If it is, they'll send you a claim form to complete and they'll advise any medical evidence we'll need. For example, a written diagnosis from a qualified medical practitioner, or a confirmation of the admission date and discharge date from the hospital. Once we have received the evidence to confirm the details and we can accept the claim, the payment is typically made within a few working days.

On your second question, ChildShield doesn't cover you and it isn't an Income Protection Benefit. ChildShield pays out specific lump sums in the event that your child breaks a bone, is admitted to hospital as an in-patient for at least 24 hours, is diagnosed with certain serious ilnesses, suffers a serious burn or paralysis due to an accident.

Hi @Butterflyarms, I'm really sorry to hear that, it must be very tiring and stressful.

When we were designing ChildShield, from our research we found that paying for family life to continue while one child is in hospital (having your other children looked after, and even your dog walked) can be a significant expense. ChildShield pays out if your child suffers a broken bone, is admitted to hospital for at least 24 hours or is diagnosed with a serious condition, such as cancer or bacterial meningitis.

There's no limit on the number of children covered or claims you can make under the same, single policy.

Hi @Cantcomprehend. Yes, absolutely! ChildShield does cover injuries from contact sports.

There are certain excluded sports, such as motorsport/contests of speed. Unlike many traditional policies, there are no limits on the number of broken bones per claim, the number of claims per year, or even the number of children covered by the same policy. So it could be a good fit for children who play frequent contact sports.

To your second question, after you've had the policy for 12 months, it pays out for each hospital admission of at least 24 hours for illness, even if that illness is a known, pre-existing condition.

After 90 days from the policy start date, there's cover for 5 serious illnesses too: cancer, benign brain tumour, type 1 diabetes, bacterial meningitis and rheumatic fever, so long as the child hasn't already been diagnosed. You can see from page 9 on our terms and conditions if you'd like to read more:
https://www.metlife.co.uk/content/dam/metlifecom/uk/pdf/childshield/3026-metlife-childshield-t-cs.pdf

Great questions. On your first question, after 12 months from the policy start, ChildShield pays a lump sum for each day that your child is hospitalised due to illness. If the child has to go back into hospital for the same illness, the ChildShield policy will pay out again, subject to the policy limits, T&Cs.

ChildShield also covers diagnosis of any of the following serious conditions - cancer, benign brain tumour, type 1 diabetes, bacterial meningitis and rheumatic fever. If the policy has paid out for one of those, it won't pay out a second time for the same condition for the same child. But all the other cover remains unaffected for them (and all your other children's cover is unaffected too).

On your second question, ChildShield isn't an Income Protection product, it doesn't cover you and isn't linked to your earnings. The policy benefit amounts are per broken bone, per 24 hours in hospital, or per diagnosis of a serious condition. You can read more about it here: https://www.metlife.co.uk/customer/accident-illness/child-cover-insurance/

Hi and thank you for your question. ChildShield isn't linked to the incurred expenses directly. The items mentioned in the OP are examples of the typical unexpected additional costs associated with a child being ill/injured/hospitalised.

To keep ChildShield very straightforward and affordable, the policy benefit amounts are per broken bone, per 24 hours in hospital, or per diagnosis of a serious condition. You can read more about it here: https://www.metlife.co.uk/customer/accident-illness/child-cover-insurance/

Yes, we have now begun to share the responses to all the great questions we've seen raised. Thanks for engaging with our Q&A @Hare5260.

Hi @PoliteBee - that would be strange wouldn't it. But ChildShield works differently, it really helps cover families in the short term for expenses that add up when your children break a bone or are admitted to hospital - those kind of unexpected costs like hospital food, days off work, extra children care, and indeed dreaded hospital parking fees! It all adds up.