Government consultation open on bereavement leave.
The UK government have proposed that anyone in England, Scotland and Wales who experiences pregnancy and baby loss of any kind before 24 weeks should be entitled to at least one week of unpaid bereavement leave.
A formal public consultation is now open on the practical details surrounding these new rights.
We recommend you use this opportunity to share your thoughts on the proposals, which include who should be eligible and how long after the loss leave can be taken. You can have your say here.
Petals’ response:
We are uniquely positioned at Petals because we speak to people who are recently bereaved following pregnancy and baby loss every day.
We hear and acknowledge the mental impact it has on parents when they need to return to work too early, often between appointments (including waiting for medical procedures to end the pregnancy) or while still in pain. Too often all of this is endured without support or acknowledgment. The lack of bereavement leave currently leaves parents feeling their grief is less important or valid.
We will join calls for the government to change the entitlement to two weeks of paid leave for all bereaved parents. This brings the law in line with that already in place for losses after 24 weeks and the death of a child under 18.
Have your say:
Before we submit our response, we are seeking the views of our counsellors and of our clients on some of the key areas being explored within the consultation.
We will use the feedback we receive to further inform our response, making it truly representative of what we learn from our conversations with parents who have lost a baby before 24 weeks and how this leave could make a difference. As always, we hold bereaved parents at the heart of everything we do.