Entitlement to parental leave

[ch 7: page 54]

Employees can take 18 weeks of unpaid parental leave for each child born or adopted provided that they have:

• been employed for at least one year;

• been named on the child’s birth or adoption certificate;

• or expect to have parental responsibility for the child;

• requested parental leave giving at least 21 days’ notice before the intended start date;

The child, to whom the parental leave relates, currently (October 2014) needs to be under the age of five, unless they are adopted or have disabilities, in which case the leave can be taken up to the child’s 18th birthday. From 2015 the leave will apply to all parents covering the period up to a child’s 18th birthday.