Petition · Department for Work and Pensions

Extend parental bereavement leave after the loss of a child.

Closed 1,596 signatures

What the petition asks

Currently UK bereavement leave for parents after the loss of a child is two weeks. We believe this is not enough time to begin to grieve or plan and have the funeral before returning to work. We want to get the law changed so parents have more time to grieve after such a huge loss.
After a tragic loss of a child we think two weeks is not enough time to bury or begin the grieving process. There is no time limit on grief. If this can be extended by a further two - four weeks it would be added time to be able to start a grief process. Our aim it to get this in to parliament to enable a change and help parents feel like they matter.

Timeline

15 Jan 2025 Petition opened for signatures
15 Jul 2025 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 1,596
Status Closed
Department Department for Work and Pensions
Opened 15 Jan 2025
Closed 15 Jul 2025

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 31 Jul 2026.