New right to bereavement leave to cover step and half relatives

Following a consultation, the government has now set out exactly who the new right will apply to.

It said including step, half, adoptive, foster and kinship care relationships – where family or friends take care of a child when their parents are not able to – would “bring the UK’s laws into the 21st century”.

Welcoming the move, the chief executive of the Kinship charity, Lucy Peake, said: “Kinship families grieve the loss of a loved one just like any other family, and this right to take time off work will help ensure they are treated fairly alongside other bereaved families.”

Meanwhile, the right also covers women and their partners who experience a pregnancy loss, including miscarriage, terminations and unsuccessful IVF embryo transfers.

It will also apply to the other biological parent, or intended parents in a surrogacy arrangement.

Employees will be able to take the leave flexibly within 56 weeks of the loss, rather than as a full block.

The CBI, which represents UK businesses, said many employers already provide compassionate leave in these circumstances and it would engage with the government and unions to ensure the details work in practice.

However, the government said “there needs to be a safety net beyond this discretion”.

Minister for the Future of Work, Kate Dearden, said: “No one should have to fight for time to grieve.

“These changes back people going through some of the hardest moments of life, whoever they are and wherever they work.”

Miscarriage UK described the announcement as “an important step in recognising pregnancy loss as a bereavement”.

Chief Executive Vicki Robinson said she hoped it would “provide a baseline for employers to go further”, with the charity calling for bereavement leave to be paid.

Bereavement support charity Sue Ryder has also called for the right to paid leave, saying bereavement can have a significant financial impact.