This past week on Protection Guru has been dominated by a theme we cannot ignore, looking after children’s futures and making sure families are supported when things go wrong. From the cost-effective ways to add children’s cover, to the role advisers must play when a claim comes in, it’s been a week packed with very practical guidance.
On Tuesday we looked at Warding off serious injury before it happens: Which insurers Provide Access to Physiotherapy?
This piece focuses on the growing importance of early intervention benefits within protection plans, particularly access to physiotherapy. It explains which insurers now include physiotherapy support, either as a built-in feature or through value-added services, to help clients recover from musculoskeletal issues before they escalate into something more serious. By providing quicker treatment pathways, these services can reduce the risk of long-term injury and time off work, delivering a tangible and often overlooked benefit that advisers can highlight to clients.
It was followed later that day by a detailed analysis of How to obtain inexpensive Children’s Critical Illness Cover.
Jason Coleman unpacks why Children’s CI cover is one of the most claimed-on benefits and shows you how Guardian, Vitality and Zurich allow families to add children’s cover even when Adult CI is unaffordable or unavailable. These options mean advisers can help parents protect their children through a life-only policy, often at a much lower cost. It’s a powerful way to ensure cover even where health conditions would otherwise block it.
Wednesday continued the focus with Which Income Protection plans include Children’s Critical Illness Cover?
Again, Jason takes a clear, comparative approach, Cirencester Friendly, Guardian, LV= and Vitality are all covered, showing how children’s benefits can be included as free extras or paid bolt-ons to IP plans. This gives you more tools to make sure families are covered even when CI isn’t part of the plan.
Thursday brought two insights. First, How advisers should support clients through the CI claims process from Amanda Newman Smith. This is a wake up call: Consumer Duty doesn’t stop when the plan is sold. Claims can be daunting, and advisers have an important role in making sure clients understand what to expect, explaining terms, managing timelines and knowing when to push back if something isn’t right. It’s about creating a process that helps, not just leaving it all to insurers.
Later the same day, Jason also published How to bring certainty and clarity to every Critical Illness recommendation. The piece highlights how often claims are paid (well over 90%), why misrepresentation remains the biggest barrier to payouts, and how tools such as Protection Guru Pro help you cut through the complexity of CI definitions. It’s also an invitation to join the new series of seven webinars where we’ll walk through how to compare quality, value and suitability for every client.
And we finished the week on Friday with a timely reminder that August is National Wellness Month: A Celebration of Self-Care and Holistic Health. Jason brings together the threads of lifestyle, health, and prevention, from nutrition support available through insurers, to how good sleep and social connections protect both heart and brain health. It’s a gentle prompt to build better habits for yourself as well as your clients.
Have a great week everyone!
