NORTHERN IRELAND is the first region in the UK to offer paid leave for parents affected by miscarriage.
New miscarriage leave and pay entitlements will come into effect from April 6, 2026, Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald has confirmed.
These regulations build on the Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay Act passed by the NI Assembly in 2022, which gave working parents the right to two weeks of paid leave following the death of a child under 18, or a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy.
From April, the statutory Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay will be extended to workers after a miscarriage.
The entitlement will also apply to the other affected parents and partners.
“Parents who suffer the loss of a child should be treated with care and compassion,” Minister Archibold said this week.
“These new rights allow women who experience miscarriage and their partner to take up to two weeks of paid leave to grieve and to support each other during a very difficult time,” she added.
“I welcome the Assembly’s approval of these Regulations, which will make a meaningful difference to many women and families across the North.”
Currently Northern Ireland is the only region in the UK that provides paid bereavement leave and pay to parents who have suffered miscarriages.
It is estimated that over 9,000 people per year are affected by a miscarriage, either experienced by them or their partner, in Northern Ireland.
Ms Archibold’s office has further confirmed that the new regulations require only a declaration of entitlement as “requiring parents to provide medical evidence at such a distressing time would be insensitive and would add an administrative burden to the already stretched health service”.
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