Parents who lose a child to be granted bereavement leave
Working parents who lose a child will soon be entitled to claim parental leave.
The new Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay Act will give all employed parents the right to two weeks’ leave if they lose a child under the age of 18 or suffer a stillbirth from 24 weeks of pregnancy.
Employed parents will also be able to claim pay for this period, subject to meeting eligibility criteria.
The government-backed bill was introduced into parliament in July 2017 as a private member’s bill by Kevin Hollinrake, MP for Thirsk and Malton. He said: “Losing a child is the most dreadful and unimaginable experience that any parent could suffer, and it is right that grieving parents will now be given time to start to come to terms with their loss.”
Business Minister Kelly Tolhurst said: “This law makes Parental Bereavement Leave a legal right for the first time in the UK’s history.”
The new law is expected to come into force in 2020.
Please contact Jaqueline Webb if you would like more information about the issues raised in this article or any aspect of employment law.