The scheme, which is expected to become operational by the end of June, will provide formal recognition for parents who have experienced the loss of a baby before 24 weeks’ gestation.

Ms Lockhart has been a long-standing supporter of efforts to ensure bereaved parents receive recognition of their loss and has worked alongside campaigners who have courageously shared their personal experiences to bring about change.

Commenting, Carla Lockhart MP said:

“This is a significant and compassionate step forward for bereaved parents across Northern Ireland.

For many families, the loss of a baby before 24 weeks has often gone unrecognised in any formal sense, despite the profound and lasting impact that loss has on their lives. While no certificate can ever take away the grief and heartbreak experienced by parents, it can provide an important acknowledgement that their baby mattered and will never be forgotten.

I want to pay tribute to all those parents who shared their stories, campaigned with such dignity and courage, and helped bring us to this point. Change only happens because people are willing to speak about the most difficult experiences of their lives.

Every life is precious. Every baby is loved. Every loss matters.

For many families who have carried their grief quietly for years, this scheme will provide long-overdue recognition and validation. I hope it brings some measure of comfort to those who choose to apply.

This is an important milestone, but above all it is a day to remember the babies whose lives, however brief, left a lasting mark on the hearts of their families.

Fearfully and wonderfully made.”