Neglecting child wellbeing is costing families their own. Comprehensive support for children, parents, and caregivers can make a meaningful difference. 

Each year, the 15th of May marks International Day of Families, an observance dedicated to raising awareness about the issues impacting families everywhere and how community members—like employers—can step up and offer meaningful support. 

In 2025, it’s clear that one of the biggest concerns facing families today is child wellbeing. In the wake of a global pandemic, persistent geopolitical upheaval, and widespread instability and uncertainty, children are facing unprecedented levels of social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health challenges.  

New Gallup findings reveal that nearly a quarter of parents of school-age children who observed social and mental health effects during the pandemic say those difficulties are still ongoing. Meanwhile more than three-quarters of working parents report feeling concerned about their children’s mental health—including 88 percent parents of teens aged 13 to 17. 

Yet with less than half of children with diagnosable mental health conditions receiving the treatment they need, the stress is stacking up for parents. In the past month alone, parents reported significantly higher levels of stress compared with other adults (33 vs 20 percent)—and were nearly twice as likely to describe that stress as ‘completely overwhelming’ (48 vs 26 percent).  

This strain is inevitably seeping into the workplace, where 70 percent of working parents say their child’s mental and emotional wellbeing challenges have impaired their ability to perform—with one in three feeling pressured to change or leave their jobs altogether. 

With up to half of all lifetime mental health disorders beginning by age 14, it’s clear that children and their parents need stronger, more proactive support to safeguard both child and family wellbeing. 

WPO Child and Family Wellbeing: A Holistic, Innovative Approach 

To meet this growing demand, Workplace Options (WPO) has proudly launched the Child and Family Wellbeing program: a dedicated resource designed to help families connect with the right support to address their child’s specific wellbeing needs. 

A robust, multi-layered solution, the WPO Child and Family Wellbeing program combines counseling, coaching, and case management to deliver comprehensive, unparalleled support. Through the program, parents and caregivers are directly connected with experienced specialists who offer personalized guidance and expert referrals for critical issues, including: 

• Helping children with anxiety and depression 
• Supporting children through divorce 
• Boosting children’s academic and social confidence 
• Accessing pediatric and parental counseling 
• Locating specialists for behavioral health needs 

Dr. Jasmeen Kaur Malhotra, Director of Child & Adolescent Clinical Care at WPO, stresses the critical need for proactive intervention to safeguard children’s wellbeing and build a strong foundation for long-term family resilience. 

“As families continue to navigate widespread instability and volatility, the emotional toll on children—and by extension, their families—is undeniable,” she says. “Employers must act early and intentionally to support children’s mental health—not just to address immediate challenges, but to strengthen the long-term resilience and wellbeing of the entire family unit, including working parents and caregivers.” 

By integrating pediatric support with parental counseling, the Child and Family Wellbeing program empowers parents and caregivers to strengthen their own—and their families’—wellbeing while navigating the demands of their professional lives. 

“When parents and caregivers have the support they need to manage their own emotional wellbeing, they are better equipped to nurture and protect their children’s mental health,” says Sarah Wood, VP and General Manager of Emerging Solutions at WPO.  

“Fostering child wellbeing begins with uplifting the adults who care for them every day,” she continues. “Parents and caregivers are the anchors in a child’s life. When we invest in their mental health, resilience, and emotional wellbeing, we give children the best possible foundation to grow, adapt, and thrive—no matter what challenges arise.” 

Supporting Parents’ Growth and Resilience with Dedicated Learning Solutions 

While the challenges facing families today are wide-reaching, there are certain trends that experts in the clinical field are observing—and that employers should prioritize. 

“When I interact with children in the clinical setting, there are so many patterns I’ve observed that are clearly shaping the experiences of younger generations right now—first and foremost, the role of social media and technology use,” Dr. Malhotra explains in a recent episode of Wellbeing At Work, a Workplace Options podcast. “Prolonged use of social media, gaming, and digital platforms has been linked to a range of mental health difficulties, from anxiety and depression to body image concerns.” 

New survey data confirms that social media is at the forefront of both teens’ and their parents’ minds when it comes to teen wellbeing. Nearly half of parents cite social media as the greatest threat to their teens’ mental health—outpacing other concerns such as general technology use, bullying, “pressures or expectations,” and societal issues combined.  

“Teens are recognizing social media’s adverse effects on their mental health—parents, of course, are too,” Dr. Malhotra explains. “Yet both are struggling to find sustainable, meaningful ways to address the issue.” 

To help parents and caregivers confidently—and constructively—manage the role of social media and digital technology in their children’s lives, WPO offers several dedicated training sessions. “Parenting and Caregiving and the Digital World: Protecting Your Children,” for instance, is one such session that aims to help parents: 

• Gain a foundational understanding of the digital ecosystem to better anticipate potential risks 
• Learn essential principles of internet safety, including how to educate children on protecting personal information and recognizing risks 
• Gain practical skills to set up and manage parental controls across digital platforms, creating a safer online environment for children 
• Discover strategies for fostering responsible internet habits in children, promoting respectful interactions and critical thinking about content 
• Develop techniques for establishing a trusting, open dialogue with children about their online experiences, enabling them to seek guidance and share concerns 

“Children and the Media” is another session that equips parents and caregivers with practical strategies to help children navigate today’s complex media landscape, offering: 

• Insights into how various forms of media influence children’s perceptions, emotions, and behaviors—especially in response to global events and adverse news coverage 
• Practical strategies for monitoring and managing children’s media exposure, fostering a balanced, age-appropriate media diet that supports healthy development 
• Tools to help children critically assess and process media content, building resilience and emotional awareness in the face of potentially distressing information 
• Techniques for setting healthy boundaries around media consumption, empowering children to engage thoughtfully with content and prioritize their wellbeing 

“Beyond the digital world, today’s children are growing up against a backdrop of profound uncertainty,” Dr. Malhotra adds. “From the pandemic to climate disasters to geopolitical upheaval, the past few years have been a series of seismic events that have fundamentally reshaped the world—and accordingly, children’s lives.” 

“These cumulative stressors are placing monumental strain on children’s emotional security—and on families’ overall wellbeing,” she argues. “In this environment, the ability to adapt, build resilience, and create sustainability  is essential for maintaining mental health and helping children thrive amidst the turbulence.”  

With that in mind, sessions like “Raising Resilient Children” can provide further support, helping parents and caregivers: 

• Understand resilience and why it’s crucial for children 
• Recognize the role of the parent or carer’s mindset in fostering resilience 
• Develop practical strategies to help children build emotional strength 
• Obtain parenting tips and resources for ongoing support 

The Takeaway: Holistic, Integrated Support for Families is Key 

Ensuring the wellbeing of children ultimately means strengthening the entire family unit. In today’s increasingly complex world, this requires integrated, comprehensive support that addresses a wide range of needs—and speaks to a diverse range of families.  

Whether families are navigating financial stress, academic challenges, emotional struggles, or behavioral concerns; whether working caregivers are focused solely on their children’s wellbeing or are also caring for aging parents or older dependents—support systems must be flexible, comprehensive, and responsive to these varied demands. 

When parents and caregivers have access to the right resources—including counseling, education, and targeted wellbeing programs—they are better equipped to manage their own and their families’ wellbeing, nurture their children’s growth and resilience, and create stability in an unstable world. 

Employers who prioritize family wellbeing ultimately make a powerful investment in both their people and their business. By fostering a supportive environment that addresses the diverse needs of families, employers can build resilient, engaged teams that thrive amidst uncertainty—ensuring lasting success and wellbeing for organizations, individuals, and their families. 

To explore our full range of holistic wellbeing solutions, including Child and Family Wellbeing, visit https://www.workplaceoptions.com/wellbeing-solutions/ or connect with us today.