Ordinary Paternity Leave

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Ordinary Paternity Leave (OPL) is available to employees who have or expect to have responsibility for the child’s upbringing and who is either the biological father of the child or the mother’s husband or partner. This means that it is also available to women in same-sex relationships whose partners have a baby.

Paternity leave can also be taken by employees who adopt a child. They must be either the partner of an individual who adopts, or the other member of a couple who are adopting jointly. In the latter case, the other partner will be entitled to statutory adoption leave discussed in Chapter 5.

Working partners, regardless of the hours they work in the week, will be able to get paternity leave provided that:

• they are employees working under a contract of employment;

• they have worked for their employer for at least 26 weeks by the 15th week before their baby is due (or by the week in which the adopter is matched with a child).

• they have or expect to have parental responsibility for the child (or adopted child);

• they must tell their employer at least 15 weeks before the week their baby is expected, the baby’s due date, when they want the OPL to start and if they want to take one or two weeks of OPL.