Right to time off to attend antenatal appointments

[ch 3: pages 28-29]

The Children and Families Act 2014 introduced a new right from 1 October 2014 giving fathers and partners of pregnant women a legal entitlement to time off (without pay) to attend up to two antenatal appointments with their pregnant partner. This right is only available provided that the father or partner of the pregnant woman is in a “qualifying relationship”.

A qualifying relationship includes someone who is:

• the pregnant woman’s husband, partner or civil partner, i.e. if she’s in a same-sex relationship;

• the father of the child;

• the parent of the child; and

• intends to be a parent in a surrogacy situation who meets the specified conditions.

In September 2014, the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) produced a new guide for employers on dealing with requests for time off to attend antenatal appointments. The guide, Time off to accompany a pregnant woman to ante-natal appointments, is also useful for union reps and employees who want to make a request. It is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/361292/bis-14-1063-time-off-to-accompany-a-pregnant-woman-to-ante-natal-appointments-employer-guide.pdf.