PARENTAL LEAVE POLICY

Aim

The purpose of this policy is to inform all employees of their entitlement to parental leave under the Maternity and Parental Leave etc Regulations 1999.

Entitlement to parental leave

Pay

All periods of parental leave are unpaid.

Continuous service requirement

To qualify for parental leave, you must have one year's continuous service with the Company at the beginning of the requested leave period.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for parental leave, you must:

• be a parent named on a child's birth certificate; or
• have adopted a child under the age of 18; or
• have acquired formal parental responsibility for a child.

The permitted reason for taking parental leave

If you are eligible to take parental leave, it can only be taken for the purposes of caring for such child.

When parental leave may be taken

General position

Parental leave must be taken:

• within 5 years of the birth of the child;
• within 5 years of the date on which the child is placed for adoption; or until the child's 18th birthday, whichever is the sooner; or
• within 5 years of obtaining formal responsibility for a child under the Children Act 1989 or the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, as appropriate to your circumstances.

Position for parents of a disabled child

Where disability living allowance is awarded in respect of your child, your parental leave entitlement may be taken up to the child's 18th birthday.

Taking time off for parental leave

Parental leave can be taken for a maximum of 13 weeks for each child.

You may take parental leave in blocks of one week. You may not take more than 4 weeks in any year. If you are permitted to take leave in blocks of one week but you actually take leave for a shorter period (eg one or two days) that will constitute a week's leave for the purposes of calculating your 13 weeks' leave entitlement although you will continue to be paid as normal for the time you work.

If you work part-time or variable hours you have an entitlement to 13 weeks' leave, but a week's leave for these purposes is the average hours you work in a week.

Where disability living allowance is awarded in respect of your child, parental leave can be taken for a maximum of 18 weeks.

Procedure for notifying a request to take parental leave

Notice to be given

If you wish to take parental leave you should notify your manager of the dates when you wish your parental leave to start and end, at least 28 days in advance in order to account for unpaid leave on the payroll. If you wish to take parental leave immediately on the birth or adoption of a child you must request parental leave in the normal way and, in addition, give the Company 28 days' notice of the expected week of the birth or adoption of the child. Where disability living allowance is awarded in respect of your child, the above notice periods are reduced to 21 days.

Information to be provided

At the time of requesting parental leave, you should:

• provide the name of the child in respect of whom you wish to take leave, stating his/her date of birth and your relationship to him/her;
• produce an appropriate birth or adoption certificate or such other documentation as the Company shall reasonably request;
• produce evidence of your child's entitlement to a disability living allowance (where relevant);
• declare any periods of parental leave you have taken with a previous employer.

Periods of leave with other employers

The period of 13 weeks' (or 18 weeks where disability living allowance is awarded) leave is the maximum you can take and periods of leave taken with a previous employer will be taken into account in calculating this period. The Company will expect you to declare any periods of leave with a previous employer either before or at the time of making a request for leave.

Postponing parental leave

General position

The Company reserves the right to postpone parental leave where the needs of the business make this necessary. The Company will attempt to agree with you a suitable alternative date when the parental leave can commence. The leave will not be postponed to a date later than 6 months from the original date requested. If the Company deems it necessary to postpone parental leave you will be notified in writing within 7 days of receipt of your request for parental leave. You will be given the reason for the postponement and the alternative dates on which parental leave can be taken.

Position where leave is taken immediately after the child's birth or adoption

The Company will not postpone leave if you wish your parental leave to start immediately on the birth or adoption of a child providing you give the notice stipulated above.

Claiming parental leave dishonestly

If you claim parental leave dishonestly including attempting to claim leave for a child over 5 years of age or claiming leave for purposes other than caring for a child it will be treated as a disciplinary matter and will be dealt with in accordance with the Company's Disciplinary Procedure. Behaving dishonestly in connection with requesting parental leave could amount to gross misconduct which may result in termination of employment without notice or payment in lieu of notice.

Contractual rights during parental leave

During parental leave your contract of employment will continue but there are very few contractual obligations which operate during this period. Your manager will give you more details if you ask.

Right to return to job after leave

Where the parental leave period is 4 weeks or less

You shall return to the job in which you were employed before your absence unless you took leave immediately after taking additional maternity leave.

Where the parental leave period is 4 weeks or less immediately after taking additional maternity leave

You shall return to the job in which you were employed before your absence unless:

• it would not have been reasonably practicable for you to return to that job if you had returned at the end of your additional maternity leave; and
• it is not reasonably practicable to permit you to return to that job at the end of your parental leave period;
  • in which case you are entitled to return to another job which is both suitable and appropriate in the circumstances.

Next Review Due: October 2018