The government has launched the new Children’s Funeral Fund in England today (23 July).
The new fund can help to pay for some of the costs of a funeral for a child under the age of 18 – or a baby stillborn after the 24th week of pregnancy.
The burial or cremation must take place in England. It is not means-tested: what a parent earns or how much they have in savings will not affect what they get.
The fund can help pay for:
- burial fees
- cremation fees, including the cost of a doctor’s certificate
- a coffin, shroud or casket (up to a cost of £300).
Information about the Children’s Funeral Fund is available online here from the UK Government website.
Andy Fletcher, Chief Executive of Together for Short Lives said:
“No bereaved parent should ever have to worry about how to meet the cost of their child’s funeral just at point when they are trying to come to terms with their loss. Yet this is often the case for parents of seriously ill children, many of whom will have suffered years of financial hardship as they tried to meet the additional costs of caring. The Child Funeral Fund will provide much needed support for these families. It is vital that every parent in England who loses a child knows that it is there for them.”
