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The mother behind a charity that supports families through child bereavement has said she is "delighted" with a "compassionate" change in benefit rules which will see parents who suffer the tragedy of a stillborn baby receive a grant to cover funeral costs.
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 that she was "delighted" that politicians this week voted to approve a proposition lodged by the Social Security Minister which will extend the payment of a death grant to the parents of a stillborn child.
Pictured: Jo Nash founded Philip's Footprints after the loss of her son in 2008.
The legislative amendment proposed by Deputy Lyndsay Feltham and approved by the States Assembly also entitles parents of newborn babies who require urgent hospital care will to up to 12 weeks of additional parental allowance.
The Minister lodged the Draft Social Security Law (Parental Allowance and Death Grant) amendment in October.
The changes will come into effect via Ministerial Order before the end of 2024.
The death grant is a Social Security benefit designed to help families with the cost of a funeral or cremation.
But the law previously differentiated between the death of a child and a stillbirth for the payment of a death grant.
Now, Deputy Feltham's policy change will remove this distinction and extend the payment of a death grant to a parent of a stillborn child.
The amendment also address a "minor anomaly" in the treatment of civil partners to ensure that they have the same rights of married couples in respect of eligibility for a death grant.
Pictured: The death grant is a Social Security benefit designed to help families with the cost of a funeral or cremation.
Ms Nash said: “The shock, devastation and trauma that can be felt by families experiencing the loss of a baby cannot be underestimated.
“We are delighted to see this effective and compassionate extension of the death benefit implemented which will further support these families.
“Whilst funerals are free to families in this tragic situation, we know there can be other costs, for example gravestones, and this extension will help those who never in a million years expected to have to plan a funeral for their child."
She added: “We hope that in time the cut-off date for all bereaved parental support can be lowered in order to support the greater number of families who experience the no less devastating loss of a baby under 24 weeks gestation.
“To relieve some of the practical pressures whilst they begin to process to their immense loss would make a huge difference to those families yet would be a drop in the ocean for our island's annual 'running costs'.”
Parents of babies requiring neonatal care entitled to extra support
Plans for extra support for parents of babies requiring neonatal care
Grant to support parents who suffer a stillborn baby under consideration
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