The University is committed to providing a supportive environment to enable staff to integrate their working lives with family responsibilities.
The Parental Leave Policy outlines the statutory entitlements to unpaid leave which may be available to members of staff who have, or expect to have, parental responsibilities.
Key Points
- A member of staff has a right to a total of 18 weeks unpaid parental leave for each child born, up to their 18th birthday.
- For each adopted child, a member of staff is entitled to 18 weeks unpaid parental leave up to the child's 18th birthday.
- A total of 4 weeks per year may be taken in respect of each child, subject to the 18 week maximum.
- Parental Leave can be taken in addition to Maternity Leave, Paternity Leave, Adoption and Surrogacy Leave, Special Leave and Flexible Working arrangements.
- The reason for arranging leave does not have to be related to the child's health and can include reasons such as accompanying a child during their first week at school, spending time with a child who is in hospital or simply maintaining a positive work-life balance.
Applications for Parental Leave are subject to criteria outlined in the Parental Leave Policy (below).