BEREAVEMENT LEAVE FOR PARENTS

That this House fully understands the devastating effects on parents of losing a child; supports the idea that it is time for bereavement leave for working parents to be a statutory workplace right; recognises that it is the right thing to do so that parents can be assured of this protection and so that employers can follow statutory guidance to make any necessary arrangements; further understands that such leave is currently left to the discretion of employers resulting in a huge disparity between what parents receive at different organisations; is aware of a recent survey, commissioned by Child Bereavement UK in 2016, which showed that less than a third of UK adults who were working at the time of their bereavement said they felt very supported by their employer; takes cognisance of the fact that around 28 babies, children or young people under 25-years died every day in 2015; and urges the Government to consult fully with the bereavement support sector to make sure that statutory leave for bereaved parents who lose a child will work best for parents who find themselves in this terrible situation.