Parents who suffer the death of a child will soon be entitled to two weeks’ bereavement leave under brand new laws.
The legislation, known as “Jack’s Law”, in memory of Jack Herd whose mother campaigned on the issue, was introduced to Parliament this week.
Under the new rules, bereaved parents will be entitled to a minimum of two weeks’ leave if they lose a child under the age of 18, or suffer a stillbirth from 24 weeks of pregnancy, regardless of how long they have been employed.
The leave – which has been described as the “most generous in the world” – is planned to come into law from April 2020.
As an employer, it is important to understand how the new rules work and be prepared to process bereavement requests from April.
According to the Parliamentary Bill, parents will be able to take the leave as either a single block of two weeks, or as two separate blocks of one week, each taken at different times across the first year after their child’s death.
Commenting on the laws, Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom said: “There can be few worse experiences in life than the loss of a child and I am proud that this government is delivering ‘Jack’s Law’, making us the first country in the world to do so.
“When it takes effect, Jack’s Law will be a fitting testament to the tireless efforts of [mother] Lucy Herd, alongside many charities, to give parents greater support.”
Welcoming the move, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) National Chairman Mike Cherry added: “We’ve engaged with the Government to ensure Jack’s Law works for both employees and small businesses – making it a day one right as it absolutely should be.”
According to the most recent statistics, the new laws will support around 10,000 parents who lose a child each year.
For help and advice complying with statutory leave requirements, please get in touch with our expert team.