Agenda item

To update the Committee on The Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018 which comes into effect on 6^th April 2020.

There was submitted a report by the Head of People, Performance and Projects (A.5) presented by HR and Business Manager (Katie Wilkins), which provided the Committee with information on the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018.

The Council’s HR and Business Advisor (Pauline Lifton) attended the meeting for this item as she had worked with the Head of People, Performance and Projects in preparing the report.

The Committee was informed that, as from 6April 2020, Statutory Parental Bereavement Leave (SPBL) would be available to all employees who were ‘bereaved parents’ (which meant that they were the primary carer for a child who had died under the age of 18). Two weeks statutory leave would be available for all employees from day one (there was no minimum service needed).

The Committee was further informed that Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay (SPBP) would be available to employees with 26 weeks continuous employment with their employer (at the week before the week in which the child had died; as long as they were still employed by the employer on the day on which their child died) and where their normal weekly earnings in the eight weeks up to the week before the child’s death were not less than the lower earnings limit for National Insurance contributions purposes.

It was reported that the entitlement would also be available to adults with parental responsibilities for children, who were not their birth parents, i.e. for adoptive parents, those who were fostering to adopt, legal guardians and most foster parents (except those in short-term fostering arrangements). It also applied to parents who had suffered a stillbirth 24 weeks or more into pregnancy. Where more than one child died, the parent would have a statutory entitlement to leave and pay in respect of each child.

It was further reported that the leave must be taken in units of one week, so it could be taken as a single block of two weeks, or two separate blocks of one week at different times. The leave could be taken at any time up to 56 weeks from the date of the death of the child. Bereavement leave could be taken straight away after the death of the child. If this leave was not taken straight away, then employees would be required to give one weeks’ notice to their employer that they would be taking this leave.

Members raised questions which were responded to by Officers.

Following discussion, it was moved by Councillor Griffiths, seconded by Councillor M E Stephenson and RESOLVED that:

(a) the contents of the report be noted as a statutory requirement;

(b) the People, Performance and Projects Team be requested to update internal policies and procedures to include this statutory entitlement;

(c) the Committee requested for Officers to provide information on the Council’s Case Management processes in regards to parental  bereavement and the various Policies in place that would be used to help and support those in such circumstances; and

(d) two weeks full pay in such circumstances should be adopted.