Grant to support parents who suffer a stillborn baby under consideration

Monday 05 June 2023

The mother behind a charity that supports families through child bereavement is backing a potential change in benefit rules which would see parents who suffer the tragedy of a stillborn baby receive a grant to cover funeral costs.

Speaking before a Scrutiny Panel on Thursday, Social Security Minister Elaine Millar announced several changes which are under consideration as part of a high-level review of benefits.

One of these is an extension of the death grant - a single payment of £987.56 - for parents who suffer a stillborn child.

At the moment, if parents have a child who is stillborn at 26 weeks, parents are not entitled to the payment. However, if a child is born at 26 weeks alive, and dies within hours, the grant is payable.

"We are going to change that," Deputy Millar said.

Scrutineer Deputy Rob Ward agreed that the current scheme was "ridiculous".

Pictured: Social Security Minister Elaine Millar said the extension was one of several "easy" changes she would make to benefit schemes.

Jo Nash founded Philip's Footprints – a local charity that supports bereaved families, fundraises for training and antenatal equipment, and provides advice on safer pregnancies – after the loss of her own son, Philip, in 2008.

She told Express she welcomed the potential change, adding: "it's a common-sense approach and certainly positive. We fully support it, and it's really going to help people."

"We're already going to get an extension of the parental bereavement leave to parents of stillbirths by the end of the year, and now this is another step in the right direction."

Pictured: Jo Nash founded Philip's Footprints after the loss of her son in 2008.

In March, the island adopted changes to the Employment Law, which mirrored 'Jack's Law' in the UK.

The regulations, which are due to come into force later in the year, give a statutory right to a minimum of two weeks' leave for all employed parents if they lose a child under the age of 18, or suffer a stillbirth from 24 weeks of pregnancy, irrespective of how long they have worked for their employer.

She said the death grant, if also extended to parents of stillborn babies, is designed to contribute toward costs of a funeral.

"This money would impact where and how parents bury their child. Headstones can be very expensive, and while the death grant is not a huge amount when it comes to paying for a funeral, it would allow more choice with the funeral arrangements. That's ultimately what we would like for any funeral that we organise for our loved ones, to have it as you want to have it."

Jo is aware of parents who have needed to make funeral payments in instalments over a long period to help cover the cost.

"We already recognise that a loss is a loss, but it's the legal side and social security side that unfortunately doesn't always have the same view as us, and that seems to be changing now."

The Social Security Minister's high-level benefit review is completed and a workplan for the remainder of 2023 has been developed, which she will begin to work through.