As I mentioned in my testimony, the first thing that I thought would be the easiest is to not expect parents to be out in public and not require them to pay that child tax benefit back in person at the bank. It should be online. I wish the government could stop this right away, so that parents don't find out they owe so much money after they've lost their child. Some parents I know didn't find out until weeks or months after and owed so much money that they didn't have it in their bank accounts. I think that's a cruel punishment.
I wish there were benefits such as the one going through, Motion No. 110, so that parents don't have to return to work right away. I know there is the sickness benefit, but as we've seen from previous testimony, that's not available to every parent if they've taken medical leave throughout their pregnancy.
For me, finding out there was something for children who died from other circumstances.... I think parents should see there's a benefit specific to bereaved parents, so that we know we are supported by the government and that ours is a separate type of loss. I think if parents haven't accessed the sickness benefit, they should get that as well as a bereavement benefit, because no time is long enough in terms of returning to work. If parents choose to, that's wonderful. For someone like me, and many other parents I know of, it took well over that 15 weeks. In the end, I took two years.
There are so many other things the government could help with, such as supporting those NGOs and giving parents a retreat such as Hazel's Heroes to come together and meet other families. We've had so many parents come to our retreats who have never met another bereaved parent in the five or six years of their grief. That's heartbreaking. Parents feel so isolated in their grief and loss. To meet other parents who've gone through something they've also gone through helps them feel supported, less alone and able to continue living, find a purpose to continue breathing.