When Law Meets Life: Why Benedict’s Law Matters to Families Like Ours

 

Yesterday, Parliament passed what has been widely referred to as Benedict’s Law, requiring schools to implement clear allergy policies and ensure staff receive proper training. For many people, this will sound like a sensible safeguarding reform. For families like ours, it feels far more personal.

Our youngest son Fred is four. Since he was a baby, he has lived with severe allergies. Last term alone he suffered two anaphylactic reactions at school. Those are words that no parent ever wants to write, let alone live through.

When you have a child with life-threatening allergies, daily life changes in ways that most people never see. Shopping lists change. Kitchens change. Birthday parties become complicated logistical exercises. Every label is read twice. Every snack is checked. Every outing carries an element of risk assessment.

Our whole family has had to learn.

Fred’s older brothers and sisters know the signs of an allergic reaction. They know where his medication is kept and how to respond. These are not things children should have to think about, yet they have embraced the responsibility with incredible maturity because they understand that it can quite literally save their little brother’s life.

At school, Fred has been incredibly lucky. His teacher and teaching assistant have saved his life twice. Those words are not an exaggeration. Their training, calm thinking and immediate response meant that Fred received the help he needed when seconds mattered. As parents, the gratitude we feel towards them is impossible to fully express.

The same goes for the hospital staff who now know us rather well. No parent enjoys being recognised in the emergency department, but every time we have been there we have been met with professionalism, kindness and reassurance. Those teams quietly carry families like ours through some of our most frightening moments.

And then there are the people who support us day-to-day. Our childminder, Claire, has been extraordinary. She took the time to learn everything she could about Fred’s allergies, how to use his EpiPen, and how to recognise the earliest warning signs. That level of care makes an immeasurable difference to families trying to balance work, school, and the constant vigilance that allergies require.

But what I hope laws like Benedict’s recognise is something simple: training adults is essential, but educating children matters too.

Children are often the first witnesses when something goes wrong. Teaching them to recognise the signs of an allergic reaction, difficulty breathing, swelling, sudden distress, empowers them to seek help quickly for themselves or their friends. Awareness can save lives.

Living with severe allergies also puts pressure on families. The constant worry can strain relationships, exhaust parents, and sometimes make everyday life feel like a careful balancing act. Yet it can also bring a family closer together. In our case, it has made us stronger, more aware, and more determined to advocate for our son and others like him.

So when a law like Benedict’s is passed, it is not just another policy announcement. It represents recognition. It says that children with severe allergies deserve safe environments, informed staff, and systems that take their needs seriously.

For families like ours, that matters more than words can say.

Because behind every new policy is a child like Fred, running, laughing, learning and simply hoping that the world around him understands how to keep him safe.