Since the publication of the UK Commission on Bereavement’s report (October 2022) and vision for change, steering group members have been working to progress the Commission’s recommendations.

Significant progress has been made towards the recommendations over the last two years, including:

  • The Department for Education in England has consulted on proposals to include grief education on the school curriculum;
  • The eligibility criteria for social security benefits for parents of bereaved children have been extended. Families who were living together but not married can now access these benefits;
  • The UK Government is introducing a new right to bereavement leave for employees bereaved of a close relative;
  • The Department of Culture Media and Support is leading on the Day of Reflection 2025 which will take place on March 9 2025 to reflect on the ongoing impact of the pandemic;
  • The Northern Ireland Bereavement Network has been consulting on a new Bereavement Charter;
  • The Welsh Government is developing a bereavement care pathway for children and young people;
  • UKCB steering group partners have requested that the National Institute for Clinical Excellence produce a clinical guideline on bereavement;
  • The National Institute for Health Research has commissioned a major new study into equitable bereavement support for people of all ethnicities;
  • The UK Government is introducing the facility for people to register a death online; and
  • New national Bereavement Support Service Standards have been published.

UKCB steering group members and others are continuing to campaign for change. Current priorities include:

  • Improvements to the ways that major companies treat their bereaved customers;
  • Greater security for bereaved people who rent their home;
  • Uprating of benefits for bereaved families so that they keep up with inflation; and
  • Sustainable funding for specialist bereavement support organisations

Follow progress of each principle in the two years on progress report

Briefing for Peers

We have prepared a briefing for peers wishing to ask supplementary questions on the report and wider bereavement issues in general.



UK Commission on Bereavement unveils the true scale and impact of grief among adults and children

· Around 750,000 excess bereavements occurred during the pandemic

· Over 40% of adult respondents who wanted formal bereavement support did not get any

· Half of bereaved children responding said they did not get the support they needed from their schools and colleges

· Funding from governments vital to transform peoples experience of grief across the UK, says Commission, as one of the largest ever consultations on UK bereavement concludes

You can read a copy of the full press release here

In Northern Ireland… it is imperative that bereavement is not viewed as an issue for the Department of Health alone, but rather good bereavement care is an issue for society as a whole.

Professor Nichola Rooney

Read Nichola Rooney's blog