Parents of seriously ill children should get paid leave, says commissioner

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 said.

She called on the government to introduce a legal right to 12 weeks of paid leave at 90% of normal pay in order to lift the "immense pressure" and lost earnings families face when a child develops a debilitating condition.

Her intervention came as the government continued to consult on how to financially support families and unpaid carers looking after ill children in England, Scotland and Wales.

She said: "Parents should not be forced to choose between being at their seriously ill child's bedside and keeping their job."

Dame Rachel said that parents have told her of the "impossible choices" they have made when "splitting time between caring for their seriously ill and disabled children and trying to hold down a job".

She has also backed a "right to return to work" following extended periods of leave, saying it could help "families whose children have complex or fluctuating needs to remain in employment while providing the care their children need".

Dame Rachel called unpaid carer's leave to be increased from five to 10 days a year, and for the introduction of a form of paid carer's leave.

It comes after campaigning by the parents of Hugh Menai-Davis, who died of cancer aged six in 2021.

His parents Frances and Ceri Menai-Davis have advocated for a change to employment law that would require employers to guarantee three months' salaries to parents whose child faces serious physical or mental illness.

"There's no specific right that allows the parents to legally be by the bedside of the child in hospital," Ceri Menai-Davis said in June.

"If you're a parent with a child, there is nowhere else you are going to be other than their bedside."

A consultation on reforms to the support available to families and carers is due to close on Monday.

Kate Dearden, minister for the future of work, said: "Serious childhood illness is a heartbreaking situation for families.

"I've been incredibly moved by the powerful stories we have heard, and we will move quickly to consider how we can strengthen support and employment rights for families facing serious childhood illness."

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