The Parental Bereavement Act was passed in the United Kingdom in 2014 and came into effect in March 2015. This law allows parents to take time off work to deal with the death of a child. Here are 5 things you need to know about the Parental Bereavement Act:
What Is Covered by the Parental Bereavement Act?
In the United Kingdom, the Parental Bereavement Act 2018 entitles employees to take two weeks’ leave due to the death of a child under 18.
The leave can be taken consecutively or within 56 days of the child’s death. Employees are entitled to statutory bereavement pay for this leave, which is currently £148.68 per week.
The Act also entitles employees to take reasonable time off work to make arrangements following the death of a child, including attending the funeral and dealing with financial and legal matters.
Who Is Entitled to General Bereavement Leave?
In the UK, all employees are entitled to take time off work if they experience bereavement in situations that are not covered by the Parental Bereavement Act. This includes full-time, part-time, and agency workers. The only exceptions are self-employed people and company directors.
There is no statutory right to paid bereavement leave, but many employers offer it as part of their employee benefits package. In some cases, it may be possible to negotiate paid leave with the employer.
How Many Days Can Be Taken?
There is no legal limit on the amount of bereavement leave one can take. However, most employers will have a policy in place that sets out the leave to which the employee is entitled. This is usually between two and five days, although it can be more in some cases.
It’s also worth noting, that while there is no legal limit to the amount of bereavement leave one can take, an employer may expect the employee to take some of this time as annual leave.
How Can Leave Be Taken?
Bereavement leave can be taken all at once or in stages, depending on one’s needs. For example, one may want to take a few days off immediately after the death and then take some additional time later to sort out any arrangements that need to be made.
How Is Bereavement Leave Paid?
As mentioned earlier, there is no legal entitlement to general paid bereavement leave in the UK. However, many employers offer this as part of their employee benefits package.
If the employee is entitled to paid bereavement leave, then the employer should pay them at their normal rate of pay for the time they are off work. In some cases, employers may offer enhanced pay for bereavement leave, but this is entirely at their discretion.
If an employee is not entitled to paid bereavement leave, then they may be able to use their annual leave entitlement to get paid time off work. Alternatively, they may be able to take unpaid leave.
Final Thoughts
The Parental Bereavement Act in the UK entitles employees who lose a child to take two weeks of paid leave.
The leave can be taken at any time within 56 weeks of the child’s death. Employees must give their employer notice that they are taking bereavement leave, as well as provide evidence that the child has died.
The Act does not apply to self-employed people or those employed on a casual basis.
For more information regarding United Kingdom leave laws, (see also: Leave Laws and Holidays in the United Kingdom).
