This is a type of leave that is provided to deal with personal or family emergency situations. It is also known as compassionate leave. It may be either paid or unpaid.
Typical examples would be a family member or partner has been in an accident or is very close to reaching end of life.
It typically applies to dependants but could include a spouse, partner, child, parent, grandparent, brother, sister or someone who depends upon you.
UK Government guidance is that you are allowed a reasonable amount of time off to deal with the emergency, but there’s no set amount of time as it depends on the situation.