The UK Government has confirmed that it will implement a statutory right to a minimum of 2 weeks’ leave for all employed parents if they lose a child
Statutory leave for parents who suffer the devastating loss of a child has been increased.
The UK Government has confirmed that it will implement a statutory right to a minimum of 2 weeks’ leave for all employed parents if they lose a child under the age of 18, or suffer a stillbirth from 24 weeks of pregnancy, irrespective of how long they have worked for their employer.
Jack’s Law has been created in the memory of Jack Herd. The 23-month-old boy died drowned in the pond of his family’s home in the tiny village of Stank in Cumbria in 2010.
Since then, his mother Lucy has been campaigning on the issue after finding out the law only allowed Jack’s father three days off work to grieve, one of which had to be the funeral.
Herd said: “In the immediate aftermath of a child dying, parents have to cope with their own loss, the grief of their wider family, including other children, as well as a vast amount of administrative paperwork and other arrangements.
“A sudden or accidental death may require a post-mortem or inquest, there is a funeral to arrange and there are many other organisations to contact, from schools to benefit offices.
“When I started this campaign ten years ago after the death of my son Jack, I always hoped that a positive change would happen in his memory.
“Knowing that nearly ten years of campaigning has helped create Jack’s Law is the most wonderful feeling, but it is bittersweet at the same time.”
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.
Clea Harmer, chief executive of charity Sands, said: “Having the legal right to twp weeks of paid leave will make a big difference to bereaved parents affected by stillbirth or neonatal death; so we are very pleased that they have been specifically recognised in the act.
“All employers need to ensure they know about this important change in the law and what additional support they can offer to bereaved parents in their workplace, as this is vital time for them in their grieving process.”
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 word to do so.
“When it takes effect, Jack’s Law will be a fitting testament to the tireless efforts of Lucy Herd, alongside many charities, to give parents greater support.”
