18 September 2018
On 13 September 2018 the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Bill received Royal Assent.
This creates a new legal obligation on employers to provide bereaved parents with paid leave. When brought into force it will give parents dealing with the death of a child under the age of eighteen the right to two weeks’ statutory leave.
If the bereaved parent has been in continuous employment for a period of 26 weeks with their employer, they are entitled to be paid during the leave period.
Bereaved parents who opt to grieve at home utilising their statutory leave shall be entitled to the same employment protections as those employees entitled to other forms of leave, such as maternity/paternity leave.
We await the final Regulations which will provide more detail. The Government estimate these should be produced by April 2020.
Come along to the BTO employment seminars to find out more!