Tag: bereavement

Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: Bishop of Manchester supports amendment on bereavement policies in schools

On 9th June 2025, the Bishop of Manchester spoke in support of an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill tabled by Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle, which would establish a requirement for schools to have bereavement policies to support children affected by loss:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I am grateful for the Bill as an opportunity to address a number of what we call adverse childhood experiences. I suspect that, given the lateness of the hour, we are not going to reach some of my amendments on care leavers that are scheduled for later. This group, particularly Amendment 171, deals with children who have experienced bereavement. Not much has been said about that in this short debate, so I will say a few words.

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Bishop of London asks about Tell Us Once bereavement service

The Bishop of London received the following written answers on 24th March 2024:

The Lord Bishop of London asked His Majesty’s Government:

  • what steps they are taking to produce a timeline for conducting a review of the Tell Us Once service.
  •  further to the remarks by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 3 December 2024 (HL Deb col 395GC), what steps they are taking to upgrade the legacy technology systems in order to extend the operation of the Tell Us Once scheme in the future.
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Bishop of London tables question for debate on support for the bereaved following the COVID-19 pandemic

The Bishop of London tabled a question for short debate on support for those bereaved in the COVID-19 Pandemic on 20th March 2025:

The Lord Bishop of London: To ask His Majesty’s Government, following the COVID-19 Day of Reflection, what steps they are taking to improve support offered to people bereaved as a result of COVID-19.

My Lords, I declare my interest as the former chair of the UK Commission on Bereavement and other interests as set out in the register. Though we are small in number, I am grateful for the opportunity to hold this debate. I am aware that reflection on the impact of Covid-19 is no longer a particularly attractive subject, but I feel strongly that the impact of this world-changing event will continue to be felt in the years to come.

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Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham asks about means of identifying bereaved children

The Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham received the following written answer on 6th June 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to identify bereaved children in official statistics for the purposes of meeting their needs.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Con): The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

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Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asks government about resources for families dealing with bereavement

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asked a question about the adequacy of support for bereaved children and families on 6th January 2023, during a debate on available resources for bereaved children in schools:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham: My Lords, the Church of England educates over 1 million children in its schools and has produced highly accessible guidance and training for its school leaders on supporting students and families through grief, bereavement and loss. Recognising in particular the barriers to learning and flourishing that trauma may cause, would the Minister meet with the Church of England’s education team to see whether these outstanding resources could in fact help other students, teachers and families across the country?

Baroness Barran (Con): I thank the right reverend Prelate for the invitation; I would be delighted to meet with them.

Hansard

Bishop of London asks about bereavement support

The Bishop of London asked a question about support for the bereaved on 9th December 2022, following a report by the UK Commission on Bereavement:

The Lord Bishop of London: To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take in response to the report by the UK Commission on Bereavement, Bereavement is Everyone’s Business, published on 6 October, which found that over 40% of respondents who wanted formal bereavement support did not get any.

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Bishop of Winchester asks Government about pauper funerals and bereavement support

On 13th February 2020 Baroness Ludford asked the Government “what recent assessment they have made of the services offered by public and private sector organisations to bereaved people.” The Bishop of Winchester, Rt Revd Tim Dakin, asked a follow-up question:

The Lord Bishop of Winchester: My Lords, the number of pauper public health funerals has risen by 70% since 2015. Churches perform half of all funerals in the United Kingdom and offer ongoing bereavement support to all. Recognising that other faiths also offer bereavement support, will the Government commit to encouraging local public health departments to work with faith communities to improve bereavement support and ensure that every person receives adequate funeral provision that includes care for the bereaved, who are often excluded?

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Bishop of St Albans asks Government about changes to bereavement benefit payments

On 9th April 2019 Lord Polak asked the Government ” what discussions they have had, and with whom, about the impact of the changes to bereavement benefit for parents with dependent children that were made in April 2017.” The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a follow-up question:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, it is two years since this came in, so we have quite a lot of evidence. Will the Minister assure the House that the review is totally independent, and that we will be able to see all the working out of what is proposed and the analysis? A large number of noble Lords are deeply concerned about this. Would the Minister be willing to meet with us to discuss how we might take it forward.

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Bishop of Chichester on care and support for those in the workplace with a terminal illness

On 17th December 2018 Lord Balfe led a debate in the House of Lords on the question, “To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps, if any, they will take to prevent workers being dismissed from their jobs following diagnosis of a terminal illness.” The Bishop of Chichester, Rt Revd Martin Warner, spoke in the debate that followed:

The Lord Bishop of Chichester: My Lords, I greatly welcome this debate, and thank the noble Lord, Lord Balfe, for bring this important matter to our attention. I also welcome the TUC’s support of the courageous work of Jacci Woodcock in highlighting the issue, on the basis of her own experience.

As a trustee of the diocese of Chichester, I share responsibility for employing nearly 100 staff but also for the care of some 400 clergy. These clergy are office-holders, not employees, and many live in accommodation they occupy by virtue of their office. A terminal illness for one of those clergy, as for anybody else, carries the prospect of multiple concerns, but especially for those dependent on them. The loss of income and a home are primary concerns, alongside the personal challenges of failing health and dependence on others—often difficult for those more familiar with caring for others. The potential loss of their home goes right to the heart of the fear of death and the implications for a family—particularly if there are issues such as schooling and the future of children—that a terminal illness brings. When a family is most challenged, networks of social relationships are immensely sensitive. Continue reading “Bishop of Chichester on care and support for those in the workplace with a terminal illness”

Bishop of St Albans asks Government about bereavement support payments

On 26th April 2017 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, received a written answer from the Government about bereavement support payments:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why, when determining the length of time for which Bereavement Support Payments would be paid, they considered 18 months a suitable timeframe for bereavement support. [HL6803] Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about bereavement support payments”