Funeral relief for bereaved parents

ALabour MP’s campaign to limit the cost of burying a child prompted Co-op Funeralcare to provide free funerals for bereaved parents who lose a child under the age of 18.

Most parents are not prepared for the devastating loss – and so in addition to incalculable grief, they can face punishing funeral costs.

But a new scheme is looking to ease the burden of the 5,000 families a year who find themselves having to bury a child.

The changes will see Co-op Funeralcare offer a free child funeral policy for children up to the age of 18 – extending it from covering just those under 16.

Swansea East MP Carolyn Harris has led the campaign to reduce child funeral costs.

Last year Ms Harris spoke in Parliament about the heartbreak she suffered after losing her eight-yearold son in a car accident.

She told MPs: “My little world blacked over and nothing was to be the same again. I just wanted to hold my little boy, not bury him. I remember the day the bill arrived and that fear in my stomach as to how I would pay.”

Welcoming the change to Co-op policy, Ms Harris said: “The cost of a child’s funeral adds tremendous pressure to bereaved parents and this compassionate response by the Co-op reaffirms my faith in the funeral industry that has always maintained great respect and compassion at this most dreadful time.

“In reality this means that in some parts of the country, where compassionate local authorities have scrapped fees, there will be no cost to a bereaved parent.”

The change in policy will not mean families burying a child face no cost. They will still face burial or cremation charges, which vary regionally but average £1,055 across the UK.

In some locations, such as Merthyr Tydfil, Torfaen, Conwy and Swansea, councils waive burial and cremation fees up to the age of 18.

For the past 30 years the Co-op has assisted approximately 25,000 families who have lost a child under the age of 16 by not making any charge for its funeral director services, an approach also adopted by other funeral providers across the UK.

Now the company is extending its services, increasing the options available to families as part of its free child funerals services.

This includes transportation and collection of the deceased, a hearse, optional embalming, a greater range of coffin choice and the option to use a Co-op Funeralcare chapel for the service where available.

The company says it is also committed to online transparency on its free child funerals policy. They estimate that the extension of its child funerals policy up to age 18 will support thousands of bereaved families by waiving its funeral service costs, particularly if other funeral providers follow suit.