The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced that from the 9th February, cohabiting parents with dependent children who need support following the death of their partner will be able to apply for bereavement benefits.

The Government has extended the eligibility criteria for Bereavement Support Payment and Widowed Parent’s Allowance, ensuring thousands more grieving parents can access this support. The benefits are designed to help parents with the financial impact of losing a partner. Previously it was only available to eligible bereaved parents who were married or in a civil partnership. The law change will ensure more children in bereaved families are equally supported, regardless of their parent’s legal relationship status.

We welcome the news that bereaved parents who lived with their partner instead of being married or in a civil partnership will now be able to apply for bereavement benefits. Gingerbread has long maintained that Bereavement Support Payment and Widowed Parent’s Allowance should be available to bereaved parents who co-habited.

We know children in single parent families are twice to live in poverty as those in couple parent families. This change in law will ensure more children are supported, regardless of their parent’s legal relationship status and we look forward to the DWP reviewing more of its policies to better support all single parent families.