children lose out, and updating the system would cost around £15 million a year. 0ur reporter anna collinson has been investigating bereavement support payment since it was brought in in 2017. just explain what it is? bereavement support payment was brought in in april 2017, the idea was that any husband, wife, or civil partner, if they become a widow, which received as payment. if you have a child or children it is paid at a higher rate. you get a one—off payment of £3500 and 18 monthly instalments of 300 p. all parents make the same national insurance contributions, whether they are married or not, but if you are not married, a cohabiting parent, you get nothing, and with no support in place and people having to rely on things like food banks to get by. we have got this open letter today calling on that to change, what are they saying? the crux of the argument is why should a child who has no influence over their pa re nts' who has no influence over their parents' marital status not receive financial support and a parent dies. in the past 18 months been two landmark legal cases where it