Parental leave

Parental leave was introduced to give parents of young and or disabled children the right to take a period of time off work to look after their child. Parents can use it to spend more time with children and strike a better balance between their work and family commitments. The leave is unpaid, although in some cases Income Support may be claimed when parental leave is taken.

To be eligible for parental leave you must

• Be an employee
• Have or expect to have parental responsibility
• Have worked for your employer for at least one year

In addition, your child must either

• Be under 5 years old, or
• Have been adopted by you on or after 15 December 1999, or
• Be claiming Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and be under 18 years old

Parental leave can be taken at any time prior to your child's 5th birthday. In the case of adoption, you can take parental leave at any time prior to the 5th anniversary of the date when the placement for adoption began, or your child's 18th birthday if earlier. If your child is claiming DLA you can take the leave at any time up to your child's18th birthday.

 The right is for you as an employee, so if both parents are entitled, they can both take parental leave in respect of the same child.