What do we already know?
We updated you in our April Newsletter Government reforms (1): Parental bereavement leave that the Parental Bereavement Leave Regulations 2020 are now in force and from 6 April 2020 employers are required to provide leave (and in some cases pay) to grieving parents.
What’s new?
The Government has published employer guidance (available here) on the new statutory right to leave and pay, in the event of parental bereavement. The guidance set outs further details relating to the new entitlements including:
- eligibility requirementsfor parental bereavement leave and pay, including rules around staff to whom the entitlements apply, criteria to be satisfied to qualify for pay (not all parents eligible for leave will be entitled to pay) and rules around when and how parental bereavement leave may be taken;
- employee notice requirementsto start and cancel parental bereavement leave (and in the case of pay, the evidential requirements);
- information on refusal of requestswhere employees do not meet the eligibility requirements to qualify for parental bereavement pay, including access to the Government non-payment form (SPBP1);
- record keeping requirementsin respect of payments made; and
- financial support available to employersin respect of bereavement pay which include that employers can reclaim payments from the Government and, where employers cannot afford to make payments, they can make an application for a Government advance.
