“Disappointing” Government response to Petitions Committee report on COVID-19 impact on new parents - UK

'Bliss called for...additional time for these parents to be with their babies'

The Government has responded to The House of Commons' Petitions Committee recommendation, based on Bliss' evidence, that Neonatal Leave and Pay should be piloted to support parents impacted by COVID-19.

The Government has...published its response to the House of Commons Petitions Committee report on ‘The impact of COVID-19 on maternity and parental leave’. The report was the result of an extensive inquiry following an e-petition calling for the Government to extend maternity leave by 3 months with pay in light of Covid-19 which received over 226,000 signatures.

Bliss provided evidence to the Committee specifically on the experience of parents with a baby in neonatal care during COVID-19, highlighting the wide-ranging impact of the pandemic on families whose babies have been born needing neonatal care, including the impact of parental separation, increased financial pressures and job insecurity, and heightened levels of stress and anxiety. Bliss therefore called for the early introduction of Neonatal Leave and Pay to provide additional time for these parents to be with their babies...

Read the article here.

Bliss Baby Charter here.