The government has confirmed that a new legal right to unpaid time off work following a bereavement will include step and half relatives, as well as foster, kinship care, and adoptive relationships. This expansion also covers early pregnancy loss.
From April 2027, employees across Great Britain who experience the loss of a spouse, partner, parent, adult child, or sibling will be entitled to up to two weeks' unpaid leave. The new rights will also apply to parents who suffer a miscarriage before 24 weeks of pregnancy, and to the other biological parent or intended parents in a surrogacy arrangement.
Employees will have the flexibility to take this leave within 56 weeks of the bereavement, rather than in a single block. Minister for the Future of Work, Kate Dearden, stated that these changes support individuals during difficult times, regardless of their circumstances or workplace.
The Kinship charity's chief executive, Lucy Peake, welcomed the move, noting that kinship families grieve like any other and this right will help ensure fair treatment. Miscarriage UK described the announcement as an important step in recognising pregnancy loss as a bereavement, with Chief Executive Vicki Robinson hoping it would provide a baseline for employers to go further.