The Department for Communities has made a Statutory Rule on 20 October 2026 entitled The Social Fund (Child Funeral Fund) (No. 2) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026 (SR 2026 No. 182), which comes into operation on 01 December 2026.

The purpose of this amendment is to prohibit payment from the Child Funeral Fund in respect of funeral expenses for which payment has already been made from a Health and Social Care Trust, except where the payment received from a Health and Social Care Trust is for an amount less than a Child Funeral Fund payment, in which case a part payment may be made to the value of the remainder of the Child Funeral Fund payment. The Child Funeral Fund award amount is unchanged.

Copies of the Rule may be purchased from the Stationery Office at www.tsoshop.co.uk or by contacting TSO Customer Services on 0870 600 522 or viewed online at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr.