SURVIVING THE TSUNAMI OF GRIEF
By Katrina Taee and Wendelien McNicoll
Blog Post
UNMARRIED PARTNERS STILL MISSING BEREAVEMENT PAYMENTS
Katrina Taee • March 3, 2020
A landmark legal case found denying payments to co-habiting partners is against human-rights law
Many couples who are not married are not qualifying for bereavement support payments. Only parents or civil partners may receive means-tested payments of up to £10,000. The Childhood Bereavement Network
has analysed data from the Office for National Statistics and say that about 2000 families with children lose out on the payments every year after the death of one of the couple.
In August 2018, the current system was declared incompatible with human rights legislation by the Supreme Court. The department of Work and Pensions has said "losing a loved one is devastating and we are carefully considering the court judgments on cohabiting couples with children". The Government must act quickly to ensure unmarried parents can receive bereavement support payments.
Our 3rd Reprint has just arrived with new foreword
Liz Gleeson's new short animated film about some of the common experiences of grief.
Authors of Surviving the Tsunami of Grief, Wendelien McNicoll and Katrina Taee attend the official launch of Liz Gleeson's Shapes of Grief Education Programme in Greystones, Ireland.