Parental Leave Policy
This policy tells you about what you are entitled to if you have a period of
time off work to have a baby, take paternity leave or adopt a child.
Maternity Leave
It is unlawful to treat women less favourably on the grounds of pregnancy or
maternity leave. We will always try to find ways to support pregnant women
in the workplace, allow time for antenatal appointments, provide flexible
working arrangements and plan with you for your maternity leave and return
to work.
All pregnant employees and mothers of babies - regardless of length of
service or the hours they work - are entitled to:
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paid time off for ante-natal care
normal sick pay rights for pregnancy-related sickness
52 weeks' maternity leave
Health and safety of new and expectant mothers
Employers have a legal duty to ensure that expectant or new mothers are
safe at work.
We will carry out a health and safety risk assessment that covers all women
of childbearing age, particularly those who:
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are pregnant
have given birth in the last six months
are breastfeeding
When you tell us that you are pregnant, we will support you to write a risk
assessment about your role and work with you to make any changes
necessary for it to be safe for you to work.
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Rest facilities
We will provide somewhere for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers to rest.
We will make these arrangements with you on an individual basis.
Telling us that you are pregnant
You must tell us at least 15 weeks before the beginning of the week your
baby's due. If this is not possible (for example because you didn't realise
you were pregnant), tell us as soon as possible. You need to say:
 you are pregnant
 when the baby's due
 when you want to start your maternity leave (you can change the date
later, if you give 28 days' notice)
We will ask for notice in writing. We will also ask for a copy of Form MAT
B1, which your doctor or midwife will give you. This says when the baby is
due.
Maternity leave
Maternity leave is made up of 26 weeks' Ordinary Maternity Leave (OML)
and 26 weeks' Additional Maternity Leave (AML), starting at the end of
OML with no gap between the two.
Women on Ordinary Maternity Leave are entitled to:
 Their normal contractual benefits, for example accrual of contractual
holiday entitlement
 The right to return to the same job
Women on Additional Maternity Leave:
 Have the same right to be informed about any changes to the Skillnet
Group’s employment contracts and the terms and conditions of your
employment. This includes any changes to policies and procedures around
redundancy and competence and disciplinary procedures.
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 Have the right to return to the same job, or if that is not reasonably
practical, to a similar job on terms and conditions that are no less
favourable
Maternity pay
Most pregnant employees qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP)
provided you have at least 26 weeks' continuous service with us (full or parttime) by the end of the 15th week before the Expected Week of
Childbirth. Women who do not qualify may be able to claim Maternity
Allowance.
We will discuss your right to maternity pay and how this will be paid on an
individual basis with you before you go on maternity leave.
Returning to work after maternity leave
All employees on Ordinary Maternity Leave - regardless of your length of
service, or the hours you work - are entitled to return to the same job with
terms and conditions as if you had not been away.
Employees on Additional Maternity Leave are entitled to return to the same
job but if this is not reasonably practicable, to a suitable alternative.
There are certain rules concerning an employee's return to work following
maternity leave:
 We will write to you confirming your return to work date within 28 days
of you informing us of when you plan to begin your maternity leave.
 You do not have to give you notice if you intend to return to work at the
end of your maternity leave but if you want to return before the expiry
of your leave, or to change any previous notification you have given us,
you must give eight weeks' notice.
 You may not work for the first two weeks after the baby is born.
 If you cannot return to work at the end of the leave because you are ill,
we will treat this as normal sickness absence.
 If you do not want to return to work on the expiry of your maternity
leave you must give the period of notice required by your contract of
employment.
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Keeping in Touch days
You may work for up to 10 Keeping in Touch ‘days’ during your maternity
leave. This is to help you to stay in touch with work and keep up-to-date with
any important changes. A Keeping in Touch ‘day’ does not have to be a whole
day - it can be just a couple of hours. You are entitled to be paid for this
work at your normal hourly rate and this does not affect your Statutory
Maternity Pay.
Paternity Leave
You qualify for ordinary paternity leave (OPL) on the birth of a baby if you:
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Have - or expect to have - responsibility for the baby's upbringing.
Are the biological father of the baby and/or the mother's husband or
partner (including same-sex partner or civil partner). A partner is
someone who lives with the mother of the baby in an enduring family
relationship but is not an immediate relative.
In addition, you must:
 Have at least 26 weeks' continuous employment ending with the 15th
week before the expected week of childbirth (EWC) - the qualifying
week.
 Be working with us from the qualifying week up to the date of birth. If
your contract ends before the birth, you do not qualify for Paternity
Leave.
 Notify us, in writing, of your intention to take Paternity Leave.
 Be taking the time off to support the mother and/or care for the baby.
Paternity Pay
Paternity Leave is paid leave. You can take either one or two weeks in a
single block. You are not allowed to take odd days over a longer period of
time.
You will be paid the lower rate of either Statutory Paternity Pay or 90% of
your average weekly earnings for the time you take off.
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Adoption Leave
To qualify for statutory adoption leave (SAL), you must meet certain
qualifying criteria. The criteria differ for UK and overseas adoptions.
UK adoptions
You qualify for 52 weeks' SAL when you adopt a child in the UK if you:
 Have been matched with a child to be placed with you by a UK adoption
agency.
 Have notified the agency that you agree that the child should be placed
with you and agree with the date of placement.
 Have been continuously employed by Skillnet Group for at least 26 weeks
into the week in which you are notified of having been matched with the
child (the 'matching week'). The matching week starts on a Sunday and
ends on a Saturday.
 Notify Skillnet Group of when they want to take your Statutory Adoption
Leave no more than seven days after they are notified that they've been
matched with a child.
The SAL period is made up of 26 weeks' ordinary adoption leave followed
immediately by 26 weeks' additional adoption leave.
The rules are slightly different if you adopt a child from overseas, but you
are still entitled to take Statutory Adoption Leave if you meet the criteria.
If you are planning on adopting a child and take leave it would be helpful to
discuss this with your line manager as soon as you know, so that we can plan
with you for your absence from work.
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