The government is set to announce changes to employment law allowing parents to take up to an extra 12 weeks of paid leave if their child is born prematurely.
A baby is considered to be premature if it is born before the 37th week of pregnancy. One in seven newborn babies require specialist care after birth and need to be placed in a specialist hospital unit, often for a prolonged period of time. This can put parents in the difficult position of having to worry about work and money at an already stressful time when they need to be caring for their baby.
Under current laws, maternity and paternity leave begins the day after a baby is born, even if the baby is premature. All mothers are entitled to 52 weeks’ maternity leave and their partners are entitled to up to two weeks’ paternity leave. Parents may also be eligible for paid Shared Parental Leave which allows parents to share 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay during the first year after the birth of their child.
The proposed new rules, under the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Bill, will allow both parents to spend more time providing crucial care for their baby instead of worrying about returning to work or having to take unpaid lead. Neonatal care leave will be available to employees from their first day of employment and will apply to parents of babies who are admitted into hospital up to the age of 28 days, and who have a continuous stay in hospital of seven full days or more. Both parents will be entitled to claim an additional week’s statutory paid leave for every seven days their baby is in neonatal care.
The new laws will give parents the time and emotional and financial support needed at a hugely stressful and worrying time by ensuring they aren’t forced with the choice of taking unpaid leave or going back to work. This will not only support families but will help businesses who want to better support their staff.
If you have any queries please speak with our Employment Team on 0345 646 0406 or fill in our online enquiry form and a member of our Team will be in touch.