Anyone who has been a working parent will know the sense of dread that often accompanies having to call your boss to tell them your child is poorly, and while many companies allow a certain amount of parental leave per year, it can still be a huge worry. But when the very worst happens, and your child has a long-term illness, the financial implications can be devastating. There are an estimated 1.7 million children in England struggling with long-term conditions such as asthma, diabetes and epilepsy, and almost 50,000 under 18s in the UK are living with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions. Plus with no safeguards in place to protect parents’ jobs, investigates.
