Parental leave, which is for employees to be allowed time off work to further their child’s welfare, can presently be taken only up to the child’s fifth birthday. However, beginning in April 2015, the age limit will increase to any child under the age of 18 years.
If an employee has completed one year’s service with an employer then they are entitled to 18 weeks unpaid parental leave for each child born or adopted. Presently, employees can take this leave at any point up until the child’s fifth birthday or until five years after the child is placed in their care after adoption. Additionally, if the child has disabilities, they can take a period of 18 weeks off until the child’s 18 birthday.
Parental Leave is permitted after the employee provides a notice period of 21 days. In cases where this is not possible then the employee should give the employer notice as soon as possible.
Leave is conceived as being taken in multiples of a week and should not be taken as individual days off, unless there is a specific agreement between both parties or the child is disabled. Additionally, employers are permitted to ask for the notice to be in writing.
Although all eligible employees who are parents qualify for this leave, they will remain under employment terms while absent and some terms of the contract, such as contractual notice and redundancy terms, still apply.
This change furthers the agenda of a more flexible working approach and promotes the ability of families to adapt to a child’s arrival and continued development.
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