Parents who experience pregnancy loss before 24 weeks will soon be entitled to bereavement leave under new government plans.
Ministers are set to amend the Employment Rights Bill, ensuring protected time off for individuals affected by pregnancy loss, regardless of the stage.
This significant change addresses current rules, which only grant up to two weeks of bereavement leave for the death of a child under 18 or a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy.
Angela Rayner welcomed the move, stating it would give “people time away from work to grieve.”
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.”
Deputy Prime Minister Ms Rayner similarly said that “no-one who is going through the heartbreak of pregnancy loss should have to go back to work before they are ready”.
“I am proud that this Government is introducing a day-one right to protected time off work after experiencing pregnancy loss, giving people time away from work to grieve and spend time with their families,” she said.
Vicki Robinson, chief executive of the Miscarriage Association, welcomed the announcement, saying it was “a hugely important step that acknowledges the often very significant impact of pre-24-week loss, not only for those experiencing the physical loss, but for their partners too”.
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.
