Parental bereavement leave
Employees have the right to statutory parental bereavement leave from the day they start work with PCI Pal.
You are entitled to 2 weeks parental bereavement leave following:
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the death of a child, if they die under the age of 18
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a child who is stillborn after 24 weeks' pregnancy
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an abortion after 24 weeks – in very limited circumstances an abortion can take place after 24 weeks if the mother's life is at risk or the child would be born with a severe disability
The leave can be taken in one go, or as 2 separate weeks. Parental Bereavement Leave can be taken in the 56 weeks following their child's death. If more than one child dies, you are entitled to 2 weeks' Parental Bereavement Leave for each child.
Anyone classed as a worker is not entitled to Parental Bereavement Leave but you may be entitled to 2 weeks' Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay for time taken off. Please speak to the People team for further guidance.
As well as Parental Bereavement Leave, you might be able to take maternity, paternity, adoption or Shared Parental leave for:
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another child you have had
For example, if an employee is a father and their child dies at 3 days old, they are likely to have already started their 2 weeks paternity leave. They would be entitled to finish their 2 weeks paternity leave and then take 2 weeks Statutory Parental Bereavement Leave.
Giving notice to take leave
Please talk to your line manager or the People team if you wish to use Parental Bereavement Leave. We will need to know:
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when you want the leave to start
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whether you will take 1 or 2 weeks leave
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This notice does not have to be in writing.
For another child
If you are due to start a period of statutory maternity, paternity, adoption or Shared Parental Leave for another child, your Parental Bereavement Leave will end when the new period of leave starts.
You can take any remaining Statutory Parental Bereavement Leave afterwards as long as notice is given, the leave is taken in one block, and it is taken within 56 weeks. If the remaining Statutory Parental Bereavement Leave is taken within 8 weeks of their child dying, you can start their leave as soon as you give notice. If leave will be taken more than 8 weeks since your child died, you must give 1 week's notice. Please note that PCI Pal will always apply compassion when dealing with these cases - these guidelines are statutory legal guidance.
Parental bereavement pay
Employees and workers are entitled to 2 weeks' Parental Bereavement Pay if:
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your child dies under the age of 18 or is stillborn after 24 weeks of pregnancy
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you were employed when your child died
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you have worked for PCI Pal for at least 26 weeks, on the Saturday before the child's death
Please speak to the People team regarding your pay - we will need to ask you to confirm the start/end dates of your leave, the date of the child's death, and your relationship with the child.
Stillbirth or miscarriage
If a child is stillborn after 24 weeks of pregnancy, the:
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birth mother can get up to 52 weeks of statutory maternity leave or pay
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birth father or partner can get up to 2 weeks of paternity leave or pay
The birth mother, birth father or partner will be entitled to 2 weeks of parental bereavement leave after they finish their maternity or paternity leave.
Whilst there is no statutory entitlement to leave or pay if a miscarriage happens in the first 24 weeks of pregnancy PCI Pal will offer paid time off at what can be an extremely difficult time, both physically and emotionally. This will be dealt with on a case by case basis.
