Parental leave

The parental leave policy sets out the support available to employees with children aged under 18 years.

The employee is entitled to unpaid parental leave of a maximum of 18 weeks for each child. The employee have the right to return to the same job or (if more than four weeks’ leave is taken in one block) to a similar job with the same or better terms and conditions.

Entitlement

If the employee have been in Platform’s employment continuously for one year the employee is entitled to parental leave, provided the employee expect to have responsibility (i.e. parental responsibility) for a child. The leave should be taken before the child’s 18th birthday.

Both natural and adoptive parents may exercise these rights.

Before taking parental leave

As soon as practicable after the employee have notified Platform that the employee intend to take parental leave, arrangements will be made for the employee to meet with the MG. This will be an informal interview, the purpose of which is to confirm they understand their rights to parental leave, the requirements to give appropriate notice, the right to return to work to discuss the arrangements for cover and that they are aware that the leave is unpaid. [Do we want to enhance to paid?]

Notice

Once the employee have given Platform notice of their intention to take parental leave, the employee must comply with any request to produce evidence of their entitlement. Leave must be taken in blocks of one week. If the child qualifies for a disability living allowance, however, the leave can be taken as single days or multiples of a day.

The notice given must specify their intention to take parental leave and the dates on which the period of leave is to begin and end.

Notice must be given 21 days before the date on which the leave is to begin. The employee may not take more than four weeks’ leave in respect of an individual child during a particular year.

If the operation of the business will be unduly disrupted by the parental leave, it may be postponed if absolutely necessary.

The employee is not entitled to parental leave unless the employee have complied with the request to produce evidence of their entitlement. In certain circumstances, Platform are entitled to postpone a period of parental leave.

The type of evidence that Platform may request should show:

• their responsibility or expected responsibility for the child in respect of whom the employee propose to take parental leave
• the child’s date of birth, or in the case of a child who was placed with the employee for adoption, the date on which the placement began

AND

where their entitlement depends on whether the child is entitled to disability living allowance (i.e. if the employee wish to take parental leave for a period of less than one week), the child’s entitlement to that allowance.

No request will be made by Platform unless it is reasonable.

Returning to work

If the period of leave is four weeks or less, the employee have the right to return to the same job. If the period is more than four weeks (because it followed on from other statutory leave), then the right is to return to the same job. If that is not practicable, the employee have the right to return to a similar job which has the same or better status, terms and conditions as the old job.

If the employee is entitled to return to the same job, that means a right to return with the seniority, pension rights and similar rights, and on terms and conditions not less favourable than those which would have been applied if the employee had not been absent.

The employee will not to be subjected to any detriment by Platform for taking or requesting parental leave.