Consultation launched on Baby Loss Certificate scheme for Northern Ireland
18th June 2025
We welcome the launch of a public consultation on a proposed Baby Loss Certificate scheme in Northern Ireland.
The scheme, which is already available in England — and has issued over 100,000 certificates — would offer people the choice to apply for a certificate in recognition of a pregnancy or baby loss before 24 weeks.
This is a voluntary scheme, and one that our community has told us offers comfort, validation, and official recognition of their loss.
Emily, one of our volunteers eligible for the scheme in England, told ITV News in October:
“It’s a sense of acknowledgement and it’s a sense of accepting that this thing happened. I lost a baby. This piece of paper will go some way towards validating that.”
The consultation follows ongoing campaigning by people with lived experience of early pregnancy loss, alongside organisations including the Miscarriage Association, who have long called for recognition of the emotional and physical impact of pre-24-week losses.
Finance Minister, John O’Dowd, said:
“I welcome the launch of the consultation on a Baby Loss Certificate Scheme. Parents and families who have experienced the devastating loss of a baby should have the opportunity to feel that their grief is formally recognised.
“Baby Loss Certificates will not undo the hurt and anguish of losing a baby during pregnancy, but they can officially commemorate losses and provide support to bereaved parents as they navigate the grieving process.
“I want to ensure everyone is able to provide their views to help us shape the scheme so that it meets the needs and expectations of those who have experienced the loss of a baby. I would encourage all those with a view to contribute to this important consultation.”
Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt, said:
“I recognise the trauma and pain of pregnancy and baby loss, and the enormous impact this can have on parents.
“I remain fully supportive of the introduction of a Baby Loss Certificate scheme in Northern Ireland for parents who have experienced the loss of a child before 24 weeks’ gestation. The recognition of such a tragic loss can be vitally important for parents and families, regardless of when it occurred, and I remain of the view that every effort should be made to introduce a scheme here as soon as possible.
“I therefore welcome the launch of this public consultation as a crucial next step in this process, as we seek to canvass views and opinions on this important initiative. My officials will continue to work closely with their Department of Finance counterparts around the consultation process and development of the scheme.”
Miscarriage Association CEO, Vicki Robinson, said:
“We welcome this consultation for Northern Ireland as an important step forward in recognising the significance of pregnancy loss at any stage. For many, a certificate may offer comfort, validation and a way to acknowledge their baby and their grief.
“We’ll be responding in full to the consultation, and we encourage anyone affected by pre-24-week pregnancy loss to do the same.”
In Scotland, a Memorial Book is already available for anyone affected by pregnancy or baby loss before 24 weeks, and we hope that bereaved parents in Wales will also soon have the option of similar recognition.
The consultation will run until 12 September 2025. Further information and consultation documents are available on the Department of Finance website.
While we wait for the consultation and its results, you can purchase a meaningful certificate in memory of your loss or losses here, which you can request to be filled in on your behalf or left blank for you to complete personally.