The Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018 received the royal stamp of approval this month. The Act provides all employed parents with a day-one right to take two weeks leave if they lose a child under the age of 18, or suffer a stillbirth from 24 weeks of pregnancy. Employed parents will also be able to claim statutory parental bereavement pay for this period, if they meet the relevant eligibility criteria, which are similar to the eligibility criteria for statutory paternity pay.
The full details of how these rights will apply will be included within the regulations which have not yet been published. However, it is expected that the new rights will come into force in 2020.
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