The Parental Bereavement (Pay and Leave) Act is due to come into force in 2020, giving eligible employees the right to paid leave when they suffer a loss of a child under 18 or suffer a stillbirth from 24 weeks of pregnancy. The Government has published its response to the consultation, setting out further details about the new right. These include: (i) eligibility will extend beyond biological parents to adoptive parents, guardians, most foster parents and primary carers;  (ii) leave can be taken as a single block of 2 weeks or as two separate blocks of 1 week each at different times; (iii) leave and pay can be taken within a 56 week window from the child’s death; (iv) notice requirements are being finalised, but will be flexible; and, (v) employers will not be entitled to request a copy of the death certificate as evidence. The implementing Regulations will be published at a later date.

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