In July 2019 the Children’s Funeral Fund for England (CFF) was initiated to provide support to families who lost a child. Parents receive a financial reimbursement in order to pay for a burial or cremation services.
The fund has awarded over £500,000 ($624,292) facilitating over a thousand claims from families who have lost a child. The support is available to all British parents no matter their income bracket.
The CFF fund includes burial or cremation fees, the cost of a doctor’s certificate and a coffin, shroud or casket (up to a £300 ($374.58)). The claims need to be filled within six months of the funeral and can be claimed directly by the funeral service provider. If parents paid for specific expenses themselves they can also easily be claimed via an online form.
Parliament Labour Member Carolyn Harris campaigned for setting up the fund after she tragically lost her own 8-year old son. She said: “It saddens me that so many children have died since the fund was established and my heart breaks for all those families whose lives have been so devastatingly torn apart. I only hope that by lifting the financial burden of funeral costs from parents, we have been able to offer a glimmer of light in what will be a very dark place.”
Under the fund arrangements funeral directors are able to apply for reimbursements of certain associated expenses, including a £300 contribution towards the price of a coffin.
In the past seven months the fund has helped alleviate the financial burden of thousands of parents and proven itself to be a beautiful initiative by the English government showing compassion to the immense loss parents get to deal with when losing a child.