Parents of seriously ill children should get paid leave, says commissioner
BBC News
In this story:
- Children's Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza calls for paid leave for parents of seriously ill children.
- She suggests a legal right to 12 weeks of paid leave at 90% of normal pay.
- Her intervention follows government consultations on supporting families and unpaid carers.
Parents of children with serious illnesses or disabilities should be entitled to paid leave from work, the children's commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza has stated. She advocates for a government-mandated right to 12 weeks of paid leave at 90% of normal pay to alleviate the financial strain and pressure families face when a child develops a debilitating condition.
Her proposal comes as the UK government continues its consultation on enhancing support for families and unpaid carers of ill children. Dame Rachel emphasizes, "Parents should not be forced to choose between being at their seriously ill child's bedside and keeping their job."
She highlights the "impossible choices" parents have made when balancing caregiving and employment, citing stories from parents like Frances and Ceri Menai-Davis, who advocated for a change in employment law to guarantee three months' salaries for parents whose child faces serious physical or mental illness.
For unpaid carers, Dame Rachel recommends increasing unpaid carer's leave from five to 10 days annually and introducing a form of paid carer's leave.
The consultation is set to close on Monday, with Minister for the Future of Work, Kate Dearden, expressing empathy for affected families and promising to consider their input swiftly.