More support coming for bereaved Lancashire parents
Amendments to the Employment Rights Bill, will see the right to "at least one week's leave" expanded to people who lose a pregnancy before 24 weeks
Lancashire parents will be entitled to bereavement leave if they lose a pregnancy before 24 weeks, under new plans to be unveiled by the Government.
Ministers are set to amend the Employment Rights Bill so that people will be entitled to protected time off in the event of a pregnancy loss, regardless of the stage at which it happens.
Angela Rayner has said that the change will give "people time away from work to grieve".
Under current rules, parents are entitled to up to two weeks of bereavement leave if a child dies before they turn 18, or they experience a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy.
Amendments to the Employment Rights Bill, will see the right to "at least one week's leave" expanded to people who lose a pregnancy before 24 weeks. The exact length of the leave will be specified in later legislation after a consultation.
The Bill already makes provision to expand bereavement leave, giving employees protected time off to grieve the loss of a loved one.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has said that the amendments will offer "dignity and respect".
"For many families, including mine, that have been affected by pregnancy loss, the decision around returning to work or taking sick leave to grieve properly can make an already painful experience even more difficult," he said.
"Grief doesn't follow a timetable, and expanding rights to leave for pregnancy loss will ensure every family gets the time they need to heal without worrying about their job."
It comes after ministers announced they would review the system of parental leave, declaring that the current system is "not working" for families.
Mr Reynolds said the Government will investigate the whole system for supporting new parents to take time off work when they have a baby, including maternity leave, paternity leave and shared arrangements.
Support in Lancashire
Lancashire Mind have rolled out a new Baby Loss and Miscarriage Service, called 'Together After Loss', which supports residents across the region and is funded by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council.
Support can be accessed via their website.