New Neonatal care leave and pay comes into force from April 2025
New parents are expected to benefit from this day one right.
Neonatal Care Leave will apply to parents of babies who are admitted into neonatal care up to 28 days old and who have a continuous stay in hospital of 7 full days or longer. These measures will allow eligible parents to take up to 12 weeks of leave (and, if eligible, pay) on top of any other leave they may be entitled to, including maternity and paternity leave.
Alongside the leave entitlement, Statutory Neonatal Care Pay will be available to those who meet continuity of service requirements and a minimum earnings threshold. This payment is likely to be aligned tocurrent statutory maternity and paternity rates.
Regulations have now been put before Parliament which,subject to its approval, will bring the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023 into force. This forms part of the Government’s Plan for Change.
Neonatal care leave will apply to parents of babies who are admitted into neonatal care.Eligible parents will be able to access up to 12 weeks of leave (and, where eligible, pay) on top of their other leave entitlements, such as maternity or paternity leave.
Speaking on the benefits this new right will bring,Employment Rights Minister, Justin Madders, said: “Parents of children in neonatal care have more than enough to worry about without being concerned about how much annual leave they have left or whether they’ll be able to make ends meet.
“This entitlement will deliver certainty to them and their employers, setting baseline protections that give them the peace of mind to look after the one thing that matters most — their newborn baby.”
Founder of the charity The Smallest Things, Catriona Ogilvy, has said: “This legislation is long-overdue and The Smallest Things is overjoyed that — after tirelessly campaigning for 10 years to bring the power of parent voices to change-makers — we are finally on the brink of seeing this vital support become a reality.”
Highlighting the importance of neonatal care leave,Catriona Ogilvy also said: “The stress and trauma experienced by families during a neonatal stay cannot be underestimated. In an instant, their world is turned upside down. No parent or carer should be sitting beside an incubator worrying about pay or work.
“This much-needed additional leave and pay means parents and carers can be with their baby or babies in hospital. We know the journey doesn’t end when it’s time to go home. The new law will give families essential time at home to bond, begin to recover from trauma and to care for a fragile baby or babies without the pressure of finances or returning to work too soon.”
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