Impact of changes on parents and children


In a briefing published in January 2017, the Childhood Bereavement Network (CBN) set out its concerns about the changes. It says that 91% of parents will be supported for a shorter time than under the current system of Widowed Parent’s Allowance (WPA), which is paid until the youngest child leaves full-time education. 


It points to Department for Work and Pension’s figures suggesting that 75% of parents bereaved after 6 April 2017 (88% of those in work, 57% of those out of work) will be worse off in cash terms than they would have been under the previous system — by up to £17,000. The calculation is based on a median length of claim under the current system of five to six years.


In addition, those with younger children will be disproportionately badly affected, as they can currently claim for longer, losing out by up to £31,000 if, for example, they had been eligible to receive WPA for 10 years.


It says that parents will not be supported for long enough to meet their children’s emerging grief, placing them under additional stress. It adds: “The government intends to meet the ongoing income support needs of widowed parents and their children with Universal Credit, with its conditionality requirements. We consider these to be unnecessary, stigmatising and counter-productive.”


Unlike WPA, Bereavement Support Payment will not be automatically uprated in line with inflation, so its value will be eroded over time. Finally, parents who are not married or in a civil partnership are not eligible for Bereavement Support Payment, meaning that children lose out on support because of their parents’ marital status. 


“We believe this is unjust and out of step with modern society,” said the CBN.