Moore Blatch Blog Working parents to get bereavement leave

Employed parents will have a statutory right to two weeks' paid leave if they lose a child under the age of 18 or suffer a stillbirth from 24 weeks of pregnancy. The Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018, which received Royal Assent on 13 September and is due to come into force in 2020, will allow bereaved parents to take the leave within 56 days of the child's death or stillbirth.Legal opinionWe are certain this legislation will be welcomed by everyone, even though specific details of the Act are still to be determined. Bereavements are incredibly delicate situations to handle and it helps to have a clear policy for supporting employees during their trauma. The new Act will encourage employers to treat grieving parents with dignity and compassion in their bereavement. ACAS offers guidance on managing bereavement at work and we recommend that employers have in place a written bereavement policy.