Is this for you?
It's for all colleagues directly employed by the charity.
Key points
- You can apply for support leave if you have, or expect to have, shared responsibility for the upbringing of the child.
- You must be the partner (see definition) of the person giving birth, or the child primary adopter or foster carer.
- You can take up to four weeks of paid support leave (at the rate of normal pay).
- You can take paid time off to attend two antenatal appointments (up to a maximum of one working day per appointment); or for adoption and long-term fostering, to attend two interviews/appointments with social workers, fostering/adoption agencies and solicitors’ etc (up to a maximum of one working day per appointment).
- You are required to take your support leave withing the first 52 weeks of the child being born/placed for adoption or long-term fostering.
- You will be asked to provide documentary evidence that you are entitled to take leave.
Your responsibilities
- Colleagues are responsible for complying with the notification and documentary evidence requirements within the deadlines set out in this policy.
- Line Managers are responsible for discussing and agreeing any period of time off agreed under this policy with their employee; ensuring any agreed periods of leave agreed under this policy are notified to their People Team.
- People Teams are responsible for advising and guiding employees and line managers on this policy; and ensuring that the leave and pay details are correctly recorded and actioned.
- People Strategy & Projects Team are responsible for reviewing this policy at 3 yearly intervals, however, any legal or organisational developments may prompt more frequent reviews. Any statutory changes will be incorporated automatically.
Definitions
Partner: includes spouse, civil partner, or someone, whether of a different sex or the same sex, who lives with the employee in an enduring family relationship (but who is not their child, parent, grandchild, grandparent, sibling, aunt, uncle, niece or nephew).
Support leave is the inclusive term that we use for paternity leave.