On 8 March 2013, the limit for parental leave increased from 13 to 18 weeks. This will require an update of any internal policy. This form of unpaid leave (which can be taken in addition to maternity, adoption and paternity leave), has proved popular with parents as it enables them to take significant periods of leave at key stages of their child's life where normal holiday entitlement may otherwise be insufficient.
The main qualification criteria remain unchanged, namely:
- it is available for each child aged under 5 (or 18 if in receipt of disability allowance);
- the employee must have completed one complete years' service to qualify for the right; and
- a maximum of 4 weeks leave can be taken in any one year.
The proportion of employees who want or are able to take that many weeks within such a relatively short period of time is likely to remain limited. However, if plans (from 2015) to increase the eligibility age limit from 5 to 18 years for all children come into effect, the utilisation of this leave is likely to increase in popularity.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.