Children's Funeral Fund

The Children's Funeral Fund was established in 2019 to help to pay for some of the costs of a funeral. The fund is operated by the Ministry of Justice and can help pay towards the fees and expenses for burials and cremations for any child or baby funeral.

When does the Fund help?

The criteria you need to meet to get help from the Children's Funeral Fund for England are:

• that the child must be under 18 at the time of death or stillborn after the 24th week of pregnancy. (However, if a baby was born before the 24th week of pregnancy and lived for any time, then the Fund will help)
• the burial or cremation must take place in England
• the claim for costs must be made within six months of the date of the funeral

The Fund is available to all families, regardless of income and it is not means-tested.

Funding is available regardless of the religious faith of the child, or that of their parent(s), guardian or carer. There are no nationality or residency requirements.

What can be claimed?

Burial and cremation authorities and funeral directors claim the fees directly from the fund so no fees are charged to the family.

Cremation fees and burial fees, which include the cost of the burial plot, are covered by the fund subject to claim criteria. Unless otherwise stated, there is no cap on the amount that can be claimed for the items and services, but all amounts claimed are expected to be 'reasonable'.

Please see the CFF link for further information: https://www.gov.uk/child-funeral-costs