The death of a child is a profoundly difficult and painful experience. In addition to the grief of coping with the loss, many families can also experience significant financial hardship.  This is often the result of funeral expenses, medical expenses, and the need to take time off work.

The report “Supporting Families After the Loss of a Child” outlines the results of a study by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (the Committee). The study follows a request contained in Motion 110 proposed by Mr. Blake Richards (Member of Parliament for Banff–Airdrie), which asks the Committee to study ways to improve the level of support for families after the loss of a child as well as ways to ensure that parents do not suffer further financial or emotional hardship owing to the design of government programs.

Specifically, the report presents data and research on families who have experienced the death of a child. It describes the range of programs and services that provide supports, including: certain Employment Insurance (EI) benefits, certain leaves of absence from employment under the Canada Labour Code, as well as the Canadian Benefit for Parents of Young Victims of Crime.

The report goes on to explore witness testimony identifying gaps between the supports that are available for grieving families and their actual needs, the reasons for these gaps, and how the government must do better. Notably, the Committee learned that the government may require grieving parents to complete paperwork, wait in line at Service Canada centres, and re-pay Employment Insurance benefits or children’s benefits that may have arrived after the child has died. The Committee also learned that front line government workers can be ill-prepared and fail to address the needs and circumstances of grieving parents and family members with compassion and understanding.

The final section of the report presents conclusions and the Committee’s recommendations to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, the Minister Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, and Employment and Social Development Canada as a department. Recommendations are organized around what can be addressed in the short term and what may require further study and policy development.