Category: News

A Class 10 girl sustained bleeding injuries when she tried to prevent her father from attacking her mother with a knife at Palanganatham in the city on Sunday night.

According to police, Janagamari, 36, was shocked to find a huge sword and a knife kept at home. When she asked her husband S. Vijay, 35, about this, he had reportedly told her that since he had lot of enemies, he kept the weapons for self-defence.

She had scolded him to throw the weapons away. Angered over this, the man had shouted at her and attempted to attack her with the knife.

Meanwhile, their elder daughter tried to prevent her father and in the melee, the knife inflicted bleeding injuries on her thumb. The man who ran away after it, returned home the next day and beat his wife up.

Based on the woman’s complaint, Subramaniapuram police have booked a case against the man for assault, using filthy language and under the provisions of Arms Act.

Experts have issued an urgent warning to any parents who took a break from work when caring for their young children in the last decade.

Failing to fill gaps in their National Insurance record before the deadline on April 5 could result in them losing up to £33,000.

Amy Knight, personal finance expert at NerdWallet UK, explained: “Having babies can lead to losing out on more than just sleep.

“Stay-at-home parents, or those working part-time hours may have ‘missing’ or ‘partial’ years on their NI record, where they have not paid in enough NICs, putting their state pension in jeopardy.

“Around 1.6 million parents who had young children between 2016 and 2018 need to check their NI record urgently before the tax year ends.

“Those who waited until their child started school at age 4 before returning to work could see their annual state pension income reduced by £1,310 per year.

“Over a 25-year retirement, this could amount to a loss of almost £33,000 or more as the state pension increases.

“Right now, voluntary contributions are being accepted for the tax years 2016-17 and 2017-18, but time is running out.

“The window to plug holes in your NI record for these years will close at midnight on April 5 – now is your chance to make the years you spent juggling toddlers count.

“It takes just 15 minutes to log into the government website to check your NI record, find out if you’re eligible to make voluntary payments to turn these into qualifying years, and complete the transaction to HMRC using online banking.”

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People have until April 5 to make voluntary National Insurance contributions and maximise their State Pension.

HMRC and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) are encouraging people to act now and use the ‘Check your State Pension forecast’ tool on GOV.UK to see if they can increase their retirement income.

After the deadline, people will only be able to make voluntary contributions for the previous 6 tax years, in line with normal time limits.

Emma Reynolds, Minister for Pensions, said: “We want pensioners of today and tomorrow to enjoy the dignity and support they deserve in retirement.

“That’s why I urge everyone to check if they could benefit by filling gaps before the deadline passes.

“Using our online tool means only a few clicks could make a huge difference to your future.”

In the face of a public split from her fiancé Tommy Fury last year and rumours the pair may have reunited, Molly-Mae has opened up about her thoughts on having a second child.

The social media sensation took to YouTube to share an update on her life, sharing that despite the ‘crazy amount of ups and downs over the last year’ she is currently feeling really, really happy’.

RELATED: Molly-Mae opens up about her fears Bambi would get caught in the Tommy Fury split drama

Sweetly revealing that ‘glimmers’ of her ‘true old-self are coming back’, Molly-Mae, who shares her two-year-old daughter Bambi with her former partner of five years Tommy, says that she thinks about having a second child ‘a lot’.

‘I’m not really in a position right now to sit here and talk about baby number two and more babies’ she began, adding: ‘after the last year that my relationship has gone through’.

The mum continued: ‘But if you take the relationship, and me and Tommy out of it for a second, I think a lot about baby number two and thoughts and feelings in regards to it.’

Describing how it’s on her mind ‘all the time’, the former Love Island star says the thought of two-year-old Bambi growing up without a sister ‘terrifies her’.

‘I feel that way because my sister made my life growing up’, she lovingly added.

Taking Tommy out of the equation, Molly-Mae shared: ‘Besides my relationship, mentally, physically and emotionally I’m not ready to have another baby yet’.

Explaining that if she saw a positive pregnancy test now she would be ‘terrified’, the influencer said: ‘If I was to pop out a baby and it was a two-year-old like Bambi now – give me a hundred, I could handle it.’

Recalling how she found the newborn stage ‘so unbelievably difficult and daunting’, Molly-Mae finished sharing her feelings on the subject by saying it’s ‘such a confusing thing’ for her to think about.

Share your thoughts on this story or any other over on our discussion boards.

Tributes have been paid to a father of six from Wigan who died on the M6 in Staffordshire last week

58 year old Cliff Tamou got who out of the HGV as it had broken down, died at the scene after being hit by a Toyota Avensis on the M6 junctions 15 and 16 southbound.

The driver of the Toyota, a 22-year-old man from Dudley in the West Midlands was taken to hospital with leg and facial injuries. His injuries are not believed to be life changing or life threatening.

He has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

Cliff’s family said: “Cliff Tamou, 58, who moved to the UK over 30 years ago from New Zealand and settled in the Wigan area, was a devoted husband, father to six children and five grandchildren.

“He was a lorry driver for many years and loved playing, refereeing and coaching rugby.

“The family have asked for their privacy to be respected in this very sad time.”

His family continue to be supported by specially-trained officers at this difficult time.

We are keen to speak to anyone with any CCTV or dashcam footage from the area or those with any information which could help collision investigators.

In a recent Reddit post shared by Twigs-Rain, the Redditor explained that their “husband lent all of our money to his mother” without telling them recently.

They explained that they’d recently totalled their main car, and while their family had a backup vehicle, it wasn’t big enough for their kids and was often used by their husband for work.

So, they saved up enough for a new vehicle, but their bank didn’t let them withdraw as much as they needed in one day.

To solve the problem, the poster’s husband “transferred the money to his mother’s bank so she could get the money or a cashier’s check out for us.”

Unbeknownst to the poster, though, their mother-in-law needed that £7,500-odd to pay her employees (she’s a business owner).

Without the poster’s knowledge, their husband turned what was meant to be a transfer into a loan ― and started turning down every car the poster showed her, leaving her confused and without transport.

“The fact that they made the plan together, didn’t consult me, and then hid it from me for a week really pisses me off,” the author wrote.

“It’s now been 15 days, and she still hasn’t paid us back. He says she’s waiting for a bank loan to come through. I feel like at this point she’s more of his wife than I am.”

We spoke to relationship expert Sofie Roos and Leah Levi, a psychologist and relationships expert at the safety-first dating app Flure, about what to do if your spouse lends money without your permission or even knowledge.

This is called “financial infidelity”

Just as affairs can be emotional as well as physical, Levi told HuffPost UK that your partner can “betray” you with money too.

“This kind of secrecy about money is called financial infidelity,” she explained.

“Like emotional or sexual infidelity, financial infidelity can create distance between partners and weaken their connection. It can also cause one partner to feel left out and lead to doubts about honesty in other areas of the relationship.”

Roos says that “money is one of the most sensitive topics in a relationship”, adding that a financial misalignment “can really cause relationship problems.”

Money can be tied with respect, loyalty, priority, safety, and equity in your relationship.

So, Levi says, “If your partner is lending money to friends or family without telling you, it can feel like a betrayal and damage trust in your relationship.”

What can I do if the betrayal has already happened?

Both experts agree with Levi’s advice, to “talk about your financial expectations as a couple and set clear boundaries.”

This is a clear case of the husband overstepping what should have been an obvious “boundary”, however.

If this is the case, you need to let your partner know that what they did hurt you, Roos said.

“Then ask them what their thoughts are about this, let them explain why they did what they did and how they view it now when they know how it made you feel.”

“From there, you can come up with a plan for how to deal with money overall, but also on how to deal with situations like the one you just were in, something that can re-build your thrust and minimise the risk of something like this happening again.”

As with any other boundary, if your clearly-stated financial needs are being ignored over and over again, it might be time to reconsider the relationship.

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Parents have mocked Meghan Markle‘s cookery tips on her new Netflix show that they say are ‘over the top’ and ‘extremely time consuming’. 

The Duchess, 43, is seen in her ‘With Love, Meghan’ lifestyle show discussing making teabags, candles, a balloon arch for Archie, and jam which she says she does with her three-year-old daughter Lilibet.

She offers tips on children’s party bags that she fills with seeds, mini gardening tools, sugar snap peas, and sweet basil.  

But parents have already flocked to Mumsnet to criticise Meghan for portraying an unrealistic lifestyle, labelling the party bags as like something you would get on a Saga bus tour.   

Another said the show is ‘not anyway relatable’, adding: ‘Everything is extremely time consuming, OTT (over the top).

‘It’s literally giving yourself a tonne of work, in order for you to laud it over others with how thoughtful and talented you are.’ 

 Another parent wrote on Mumsnet: ‘I don’t think she’d come in for quite so much flak if she actually really did all of this stuff in real life. 

‘I don’t believe for one minute that she actually keeps bees or that she grows her own veg or arranges fruit into rainbows for breakfast.’ 

During the documentary, Meghan shared rare details about to her two children, including that the pair, own their own mini gardening tools, despite both being under the age of six

Busy working mother Claire Crick said watching the show made her feel ‘inferior and like a rubbish parent’. 

Writing on What To Watch, she said parents will be left disappointed if they think the show will deliver some ‘simple mum-hacks’. 

‘Instead of feeling inspired, all this new eight-part docuseries has done is make me feel poor, inferior and like a bad parent because I’m not adding edible flowers to my children’s breakfast as a “sweet” way to start the weekend,’ she said. 

‘The perfectly styled million-dollar kitchen, Meghan’s stunning white outfits (I mean, who wears white when cooking tomato pasta?!), and flawless hair and makeup all add to the perfectly styled spectacle of the show, but to most people, this isn’t reality.’ 

Parenting expert Kirsty Ketley told MailOnline she thinks the show will be a turn off for most working mothers. 

‘It appears that the Mumsnetters are certainly not feeling the pressure to copy her and are finding it very unrelatable, which I think will be the case for nearly all mums,’ she said. 

‘It actually feels like we have gone back in time, to when Instagram first came about with all the “perfect mums” showcasing only the best bits of life. We are over all that now and much prefer to watch the likes of Stacey Solomon keeping it real.

‘Those who have millions in the bank and time at their disposal, maybe will love getting themselves some bees to harvest honey, but as someone who has worked for very wealthy families over the years, I cannot imagine many will aspire to be like her.’ 

The delayed show dropped this morning on the streaming channel where Meghan makes several mentions of her two children, Archie, five, and Lilibet in the series – offering a rare insight into their very private upbringing in Montecito, in the US.

Parents have already flocked to Mumsnet to criticise Meghan for portraying an unrealistic lifestyle

‘With Love, Meghan’ landed on Netflix on Tuesday morning and is aimed at showing a new side to the Duchess of Sussex

Pictured is a beaming Meghan, who will take centre stage for the new Netflix show 

Meghan’s new eight-part show features her showing how to host small events for friends 

Another clip from the show features Meghan in a full beekeepers’ outfit as she gathers honey

Filmed in the kitchen of a rented £5million mansion near the Sussexes’ Montecito villa, the new show promises an intimate ‘at home’ experience.

The idyllic rented pad, nestled within a gated community, boasts eight acres of avocado trees and lemon groves and is owned by Montecito’s influential Cipolla family.

Inside, Meghan is filmed cooking, baking, cocktail making, flower arranging and party planning using its kitchen’s lavish £15,000 eight-hob Thermador oven.

The royal also gets to show off some of her £80,000 designer wardrobe while she treats her famous celebrity pals to cakes and snacks.

Dangling elegantly from her wrist as she chops up fruit with a £134 knife is a luxurious £21,400 Cartier ‘tank Francaise’ gold watch and a £4,544 Cartier yellow gold bracelet.

Working on the hob of the Thermador oven, Meghan is seen preparing food in a top-of-the-range white Le Creuset pan, worth between £180 and £250.

The property features the centerpiece of the estate: a spacious kitchen with Caesartone countertops, estimated to cost about £200 to £550 per square metre. 

There are kitchen staples such as copper pans for around £200 to £600 and her favourite Vitamix E320 Explorian Blender, which is loved by countless other stars such as Miranda Kerr, Gwyneth Paltrow and Zac Efron, but will set you back £450.

At the back of the stove you see a selection of black walnut chopping boards, with each one costing about £60.

In perfect influencer style Meghan also uses an array of state-of-art Le Creuset cookware, all in matching white. A single pot online retails for about £180 to £250.

The eight episodes, which are each 33 minutes long, see Meghan inviting famous friends to a California estate where she shares cooking, gardening and hosting tips.

In the second episode of the show, she shared insight into what children’s parties are like when hosted at their sprawling Montecito mansion.

The property, an idyllic $8million estate nestled within a gated community, boasts eight acres of avocado trees and lemon groves, but it belongs not to Meghan, but to Montecito’s well-heeled Cipolla family

The property features the centerpiece of the estate: a spacious kitchen with Caesartone countertops, where Meghan sliced her homemade honey lemon cake

Meghan offered tips on packing children’s party bags to hand out at the end of a celebration, suggesting parents add ‘seeds that they can plant’ – and that it would ‘give them something to do on the car ride home’.

Rather than balloons and sweets, the duchess revealed she likes to make gift bags that include ‘seeds’ that children can sow and ‘watch grow’.

‘I think a gift bag is important, the guest experience start young,’ she said. ‘Nice to have something to take home, a little mementos, kids get so excited and it gives them something to do on the car ride home before they completely collapse with their naps. It gives parents a little distraction.’

‘Unless it comes with loads of sugar and then they’re calling you like “Hi, and why?”,’ she joked.

The Duchess offered sugar snap peas and sweet basil to her party bags, along with manuka honey sticks, in replacement of sweets.

Meghan also spoke about ‘healing’ something ‘broken’ after she previously accused royal aides of preventing her from expressing her true self during her time in Britain.

The former actress’s lifestyle series ‘With Love, Meghan’ is being billed as a make-or-break moment for the Sussexes and their bumper $100million Netflix deal.

She closed the last of eight episodes with a speech to guests including her husband Prince Harry and mother Doria Ragland, saying: ‘I just want to raise a glass to you guys. This feels like a new chapter that I’m so excited that I’m able to share and I’ve been able to learn from all of you. So I just thank you for all the love and support.

‘And here we go, there’s a business! All of that is part of that creativity that I’ve missed so much, so thank you for loving me so much and celebrating with me.’

Yesterday, a sneak peek of the series saw Meghan tell how it was a ‘real delight and luxury’ to be a ‘present parent’ as she made a rainbow-themed fruit salad. 

The show is a make-or-break moment for the Sussexes, who signed a deal with Netflix in 2020

Prince Harry tells his wife Meghan: ‘Well done. You did a great job.’ in the new Netflix show

She started by placing fruits such as grapes, blueberries and strawberries on a chopping board before declaring ‘you don’t have to do a big platter of this… you could do this with one small row for your kids for breakfast’.

‘It makes the morning a lot more fun’, said the mother-of-two, before adding: ‘Can I just show you? If you just made one.’

While building the smaller rainbow-themed fruit salad, Prince Harry’s wife insisted: ‘It’s a real delight in being able to be a present parent. And it’s a luxury sometimes because we all have to work. We all have a lot of stuff to do.

‘But when you can take a minute to just… finding the fun in those moments, makes for a really sweet start to the weekend,’ added Meghan, before finishing off her colourful display with yogurt and flower sprinkles.

‘It doesn’t need to be big for a party, it’s how you incorporate these practices everyday,’ concluded the Duchess.

Sharing the teaser to her own Instagram account, Meghan declared that the ‘wait is almost over’, adding: ‘If this brings you joy, wait until you see all episodes of With Love, Meghan dropping on Netflix at midnight tonight!’

It came after Meghan revealed how her son Prince Archie tells her ‘Mama, don’t work too hard’ as she opened up about her children in an intimate interview with People magazine ahead of her cookery show.

Discussing the ‘heritage feeling’ behind her latest project, the Duchess told the US publication how her new series is her way of teaching her daughter Princess Lilibet, three, ‘what it’s like to be a working mom’.

The CSO have revealed the comprehensive list of every name chosen by parents in Ireland last year and lots of beautiful Irish boy names made the cut.

While a huge percentage of the top ten most popular names chosen in 2024 were Irish, (Rían, Cillian, Tadhg, Fionn, Liam and Oisín!), we decided to cast a spotlight on the beautiful homegrown monikers that we think deserve a bit more love!

RELATED: The most popular baby names in Ireland in 2024

According to the CSO, the following Irish baby boy names were given to less than five babies last year.

Irish boy names given to only five babies or less in 2024

• Daibhí  – Pronounced ‘dah-vee’ – Meaning ‘beloved’
• Finbar – Pronounced ‘finn-bar’ – Meaning ‘fair-headed one’
• Fintan – Pronounced ‘fin-tin’ – Meaning ‘little fair one’
• Macdara – Pronounced ‘mac-dah-rah – Meaning ‘son of oak’

• Paidí – Pronounced ‘paw-dee’ – Meaning ‘nobleman’
• Ríoghán – Pronounced ‘ree-an – Meaning ‘little king’
• Turlough – Pronounced ‘ter-lock’ – Meaning ‘dry lake’
• Fiach – Pronounced ‘fee-ick’ – Meaning ‘raven’
• Fionán – Pronounced ‘fyun-awn’ – Meaning ‘fair’

• Riagán – Pronounced ‘ree-gawn’ – Meaning ‘little king’
• Chulainn – Pronounced ‘cull-in’ – Meaning ‘powerful’
• Lúan – Pronounced ‘loo-in’ – Meaning ‘warrior’
• Maitiú – Pronounced ‘match-oo’ – Meaning ‘Matthew’

What’s your favourite rare Irish baby boy name?

Share your thoughts on this story or any other over on our discussion boards.

The daughter of Jason Corbett believes that she and her brother were drugged by Molly Martens on the night she killed their father. 

Sarah Corbett Lynch makes the claim in her new book about her father’s death, A Time for Truth: My Father Jason and my Search for Justice and Healing. 

As a young child, Ms Corbett Lynch moved to North Carolina after her stepmother, Molly Martens, got homesick living in Limerick.

Her father, Jason, embraced life in the US but his American Dream turned to tragedy in 2015 when he was beaten to death by his wife and her father, Tom Martens. 

Two-years later, the pair were convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 20 and 25-years behind bars. 

In 2020, their convictions were overturned by an appeals court and the Martens accepted charges of manslaughter. 

They continue to claim their actions that night were motivated by self-defence and have since been released from prison. 

On The Pat Kenny Show, Ms Corbett Lynch said she felt compelled to write the book because, for so long, she and her brother were prevented from speaking about their father in public. 

“We weren’t allowed to give evidence,” she said. 

“We were under a gag order, so we couldn’t even speak to the media. 

“When I lived with the Martens, I had no voice either. I had no control over my own thoughts. 

“And I wanted to tell my story; I wanted people to understand what actually happened inside of our home.” 

Ms Corbett Lynch’s mother died when she was very young and she has no memories of her. 

Before her father’s death, she considered Martens to be her mother – even though she and her brother were often treated cruelly by her. 

“There were certain things that Molly did that felt wrong but I didn’t know any different,” Ms Corbett Lynch said. 

“I was five-years-old when Molly started telling me that my Dad killed my birth mom. 

“That’s not okay and it’s not true – but I didn’t know any different and I didn’t know how to react to it.” 

Sometimes, if the siblings performed badly in a swimming competition, Martens punished them by not feeding them. 

And on the night the Martens killed her father, Ms Corbett Lynch is convinced she and her brother were drugged. 

“I remember being given tablets by Molly and some sort of cranberry juice that night,” she said. 

“When I woke up later on that evening… there were spiders and lizards crawling all over my bed. 

“When I tried to get out of my bed to go down to Molly and my Dad, my legs felt like jelly. It was like I was on a moving boat. 

“Later, I found out that Jack was also given tablets before he went to bed.” 

Molly Martens at the sentence hearing after pleading no contest to voluntary manslaughter of Jason Corbett in 2023. Picture by: Associated Press / Alamy Stock Photo

After the death of their father, the siblings were placed in the care of the Martens. 

It was, Ms Corbett Lynch recalls, a strange time because the Martens family acted “like nothing had happened”. 

“It was hard for me to actually comprehend that my Dad was gone,” she said. 

“Molly acted like she had a new lease of life; she was teaching her brother’s younger daughter how to swim in their pool. 

“They were having barbecues and we went to the beach.

“The only odd thing that was happening was the hushed whispers.”

Molly Martens leaves North Carolina Correctional Institution in Raleigh in 2024. Picture by: YouTube/FOX8 WGHP.

Afterwards, custody of the siblings was awarded to their aunt Tracey Corbett-Lynch and they returned to Ireland to live with her. 

In 2023, both gave victim impact statements when the Martens were resentenced; the family urged the judge to impose the “maximum possible sentence” of 17-years on Martens. 

Instead, they were sentenced to four-years and three months. 

You can listen back here:

Main image: Split of Sarah Corbett Lynch and Molly Martens. 

WASHINGTON — Since Hamas kidnapped her son over 500 days ago, Idit Ohel has been unable to think about anything else aside from seeing him brought home. 

The mother of an Israeli hostage being starved in chains inside a Hamas tunnel with shrapnel injuries blinding his left eye is tirelessly fighting for her son’s freedom amid reports from hostages recently released by the terror group that he is still alive.  

“I don’t think there is a mother in the world who could sleep knowing that her son is wounded and not being taken care of,” Ohel told The Christian Post. “As a mother, you want to take care of your child, but you have no way of physically doing that.”

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“The only way I can is spiritual in some way,” she added. “That’s what I’m looking to do to help him.”

Ohel has traveled the globe to advocate and pray for her son, Alon, who has been captive of the Hamas terror group in Gaza since it abducted him and around 240 others during its Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack in southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

As a spiritual person, the mother has faith that her son, who turned 24 in captivity on Feb. 10, can hear her prayers in the tunnels where Hamas is holding him. 

On the day of Hamas’ invasion, Alon Ohel attended the Nova Music Festival, where Hamas extremists massacred over 380 people and sent thousands fleeing for their lives.

He took cover in a bomb shelter as terrorists attacked and was wounded by a grenade thrown into the shelter. Hamas abducted the pianist alongside several others who had hidden in the same spot. 

Idit Ohel received confirmation from hostages released from captivity through a recent ceasefire deal that her son is still alive but malnourished and injured.

The three-staged deal, reached in January, temporarily halted the fighting, with Israel agreeing to release Palestinian security prisoners in exchange for hostages taken by Hamas.

“He’s being starved,” the mother said. “He has been in the tunnels for over 500 days; he has been chained, so he cannot move. He has shrapnel in his eye, so he cannot see in his right eye. He doesn’t know the difference between day or night.”

Alon Ohel is someone who makes friends easily, his mother said. He also loves music and started learning to play piano at 9. 

Former prisoners of Hamas who saw Ohel’s son also told her that Alon Ohel is “fighting for his life” and often spoke confidently about the future and returning home. Witnesses remembered Alon Ohel hummed songs to himself as a way of maintaining a connection to his old life.

Based on the reports she has heard about the condition of hostages Hamas has released as part of the current deal, Idit Ohel believes freeing the remaining captives is the utmost priority.

She thinks the ceasefire deal intended to secure the hostages’ release should have happened sooner. 

The mother stressed that Israel didn’t start the war with Hamas and acknowledged Israel’s accomplishments during the war, such as the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. But Idit Ohel maintains that the Israeli government’s primary focus should now be on rescuing the hostages.

For her, every life spared “is the whole world” — even if it means Israel releasing Palestinian terrorists in exchange for those held captive by the terror group. 

“The most important thing is to bring the hostages home because they don’t have time. We know there are hostages that we can save,” Idit Ohel told CP. “We have to get them out and bring them home alive. And the ones that are not alive need to be buried. So, that’s how I see it. Because I live in the now.” 

Any mother would feel the same level of protectiveness for her child, she said, vowing to continue advocating on her son’s behalf and those still held in captivity along with him.

“I want my son to have a future. That’s the most important thing,” Idit Ohel said. “This is what I need to do. This is what everybody has to do: Make sure that the hostages that are alive have a future.”

Careers guidance in schools isn’t just a box-ticking exercise—it’s a life-changer. Research shows that good careers guidance helps students achieve better jobs, higher wages, and greater confidence as adults, with measurable knock-on benefits for society and the economy.  

Students who take part in career guidance activities during school are 85% more likely to feel confident about their future prospects as adults (Moote et al., 2024). High-quality careers guidance also reduces the risk of becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) by 20%, and this figure jumps to 39% for disadvantaged students (Careers & Enterprise Company, 2024). 

For disadvantaged children, careers advice is transformative. It raises aspirations, improves knowledge of opportunities, and helps overcome barriers like lack of social networks or knowledge about the job market. Targeted guidance can halve the likelihood of economically disadvantaged youth falling into long-term unemployment (Robinson and Salvestrini, 2020). 

The benefits of career guidance don’t stop when school ends. Adults who received careers advice as students are more likely to secure fulfilling jobs and feel positive about their career paths. While only half of UK adults feel optimistic about their work prospects today, that figure rises to over 80% among those who accessed professional career support (CDI Valuing Careers Research, 2024). 

Research also shows that investing in careers guidance during compulsory education delivers an average cost-benefit ratio of 2.5:1 (Hooley et al., 2023). This means that for every £1 spent on careers education, the economy sees a return of £2.50 – a clear case for making this support a priority in schools. 

The stakes are high: early unemployment has long-term effects on wages, job satisfaction, and even health. Effective careers advice mitigates these risks by guiding students toward education or employment pathways that suit their skills and interests (Bell & Blanchflower, 2013). It’s not just good for individuals—it saves taxpayers millions by reducing reliance on welfare and boosting the economy. 

9 Things Parents Should Do to Help Their Kids’ Careers 

Parents are one of the most influential forces in shaping their children’s career paths, yet many feel unprepared to navigate the maze of modern qualifications and career routes. Today’s job market is evolving rapidly, and it can feel overwhelming to keep up, especially with lots of different emerging pathways like apprenticeships, T Levels, or careers in digital and AI. Research shows that over two-thirds of parents would engage more if prompted by schools or colleges, which highlights the need for better collaboration.

Tools like the Talking Futures website and CPD modules for schools are game-changers, equipping parents with practical strategies to have informed, constructive conversations about careers. Ultimately, it’s about starting early, encouraging exploration, and focusing on transferable skills like problem-solving and adaptability—qualities that prepare young people for any future. Parents don’t need all the answers; they just need to be a supportive guide as their children navigate their options. 

1. Start Career Conversations Early 
   Begin talking about careers as early as possible. Discuss their interests, strengths, and what excites them. Early engagement builds confidence and helps children explore possibilities without pressure. 

2. Encourage Exploration 
   Support your child in trying out different experiences like weekend or summer jobs, internships, volunteering, or job shadowing. These opportunities provide hands-on insights into what they enjoy—or don’t—and help them develop valuable transferable skills like problem-solving and adaptability. 

3. Focus on Skills, Not Just Jobs 
   Talk about the skills your child can develop, such as communication, teamwork, and critical thinking, rather than pushing them toward specific careers. These skills are essential across industries and prepare them for a changing job market. 

4. Be Open-Minded About Modern Pathways 
   Stay informed about emerging qualifications like T Levels or apprenticeships and careers in fields like digital technology or AI. If you feel unprepared, resources like the Talking Futures website can help you understand these options better. 

5. Leverage Your Network 
   Use your personal and work connections to create opportunities for your child. Whether it’s inviting colleagues to share career insights or helping them find mentors, your network can be a powerful resource. 

6. Link School Learning to Real Life 
   Ask your child how what they’re learning in school connects to real-world careers. This can be anything from how Maths calculations are useful for building/construction to the way science and technology are use in healthcare or engineering careers.  This helps them see the relevance of their education and sparks curiosity about future possibilities. 

7. Take Advantage of School Resources 
   Engage with career fairs, workshops, or school-organized events where professionals speak about their industries. If your school offers career-related homework or projects, use these as opportunities to have meaningful discussions at home about your child’s interests and aspirations. 

8. Help Them Think About Lifestyle Choices 
   Encourage your child to consider how their career might align with their desired lifestyle—whether they want to live in a big city, travel frequently, or stay close to home. Lifestyle preferences can shape career decisions in meaningful ways. 

9. Support your child in making their decision 
   Resist the urge to push your child to a decision you would prefer. Instead, act as a sounding board, offering encouragement and advice while letting them take the lead in making decisions about their future path.