Skip to content

Brought to you by

Dentons logo

UK People Reward and Mobility Hub

The latest updates in employment, benefits, pensions and immigration

open menu close menu

UK People Reward and Mobility Hub

  • Home
  • Events
    • Past events
  • Who We Are
    • Meet the team
  • How we can help

UK introduces new parental bereavement leave from April 2020

By UK People Reward and Mobility Team
January 31, 2020
  • Employee benefits
  • Family friendly rights
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via email Share on LinkedIn

It is something that is difficult for any parent to contemplate but, should they experience the loss of a child, what provision is there for them to take time off work? Historically there has been no automatic statutory right to leave (paid or otherwise) for grieving parents.  Employers could decide for themselves whether to grant compassionate leave, and many did so. However, from April this year, the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act (the Act) comes into force and introduces a legal minimum level of leave.

Under the Act, bereaved parents will be entitled to two weeks’ leave if they lose a child under the age of 18 or suffer a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy. Employees with 26 weeks’ continuous service will be entitled to these two weeks paid at the statutory rate, while those under this threshold will be entitled to unpaid leave.

Parents will be able to take the leave as either a single block of two weeks or as two separate blocks of one week, in either case within a year of their child’s death.

The Act also extends this right to those with parental responsibility, such as adoptive parents and legal guardians.

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via email Share on LinkedIn
Subscribe and stay updated
Receive our latest blog posts by email.
Stay in Touch
parental bereavement leave
UK People Reward and Mobility Team

About UK People Reward and Mobility Team

Our People, Reward and Mobility team in the UK advises on all aspects of employment law, both contentious and non-contentious, and covers the full range of pensions and employee benefits issues as well as all areas of immigration law.

All posts

You might also like...

  • Discrimination
  • Employment Status
  • Family friendly rights
  • Flexible working

Sisters doing it for themselves?

The world of work is changing. According to a combined study by Oxford Ecomonics and the online retailer notonthehighstreet.com, female […]

By Michelle Lamb
  • Confidential Information
  • Discrimination
  • Employee welfare
  • Family friendly rights
  • Grievance and Disciplinary
  • Sex Discrimination
  • Sickness absence

A busy month for discrimination law

It’s been a busy few weeks for judgments; we round up the most recent discrimination cases: When is cancer a […]

By Lauren Costello
  • Discrimination
  • Employee welfare
  • Family friendly rights
  • Maternity Leave
  • Sickness absence

Supporting working parents – are UK employers doing enough?

By Christie Jamieson

About Dentons

Dentons is designed to be different. As the world’s largest law firm with 20,000 professionals in over 200 locations in more than 80 countries, we can help you grow, protect, operate and finance your business. Our polycentric and purpose-driven approach, together with our commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity and ESG, ensures we challenge the status quo to stay focused on what matters most to you. www.dentons.com

Dentons boilerplate image

Twitter

Categories

Dentons logo

© 2023 Dentons

  • Legal notices
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms of use
  • Cookies on this site