Parental leave is unpaid leave and can be taken up to the child’s 18th birthday. It gives members of staff, both fathers and mothers, a right to take time off work to look after a child or to make arrangements for the child’s welfare. Members of staff can use parental leave to spend more time with their children and strike a better balance between their work and family commitments.

There is no length of service requirement. A member of staff is entitled to parental leave if he/she has a child who is under 18 and is:

• Is the parent (named on the birth or adoption certificate) of the child; or
• Has adopted a child who is under 18 years of age; or
• Has acquired legal responsibility for the child.

• Queen’s has enhanced parental leave that goes beyond the statutory minimum.
• A member of staff may take a maximum of 6 weeks parental leave in respect of any individual child in any one year.
• Parental leave is for an individual child, if twins are born each parent will have the right to take 18 weeks leave for each child.
• Parental leave must be taken in individual or multiples of 1 week blocks, except in extenuating circumstances, where alternative arrangements can be agreed with the Head of School/ Department/ Unit.
• A member of staff who has a child with a disability can chose to take parental leave in blocks or single days.

There is a total of 18 weeks entitlement.

• A member of staff’s request for parental leave may be postponed by the University for up to 6 months, where work would be disrupted if the leave were to be taken at the requested time.
• Where parental leave has been postponed, this will be discussed with the member of staff and the reasons for the postponement will be given, in writing, within 7 days of application.
• The University cannot postpone parental leave when a member of staff gives notice to take it immediately after the birth of a child or when a child is placed for adoption. Nor can the University postpone leave so that it ends after the child’s 18th birthday.

• Yes, a member of staff accrues annual leave entitlement while on parental leave.
• A member of staff is expected, where possible, to take his/her full annual leave entitlement in a particular leave year.
• Where this is not possible due to parental leave arrangements or exceptional circumstances, he/she will be able to carry over up to 5 days, the scheduling of which must be taken by agreement with the Head of School/ Department/ Unit.

• The University’s pension contributions are not paid during the member of staff’s unpaid parental leave.
• If, on return from parental leave, the member of staff would like to make up their contributions, then the University will make up the employer’s contributions.

• A member of staff is entitled to return from parental leave to the job in which he/she was employed before his/her absence under the original contact of employment and on terms and conditions not less favourable than those, which he/she would have received had he/she not been absent, if the period of leave was for 6 weeks or less. This also applies if parental Leave follows Ordinary Maternity Leave.
• If the member of staff is on parental leave for a period of more than 6 weeks he/she is entitled to return to the job in which he/she was employed before his/her absence or if this is not reasonably practicable, to another job which is both suitable for him/her and appropriate for his/her in the circumstances on equivalent terms and conditions. This also applies if parental leave follows Additional Maternity Leave

• A member of staff must inform his/her Head of School/ Department/ Unit, in writing, of his/her intention to take parental leave no later than 21 days before the date on which he/she wishes to take parental leave (unless this is not reasonably practicable to do so).
• The same period of notice is required where a member of staff wishes to take a period of parental leave following immediately after Ordinary or Additional Maternity Leave and Ordinary or Additional Adoption Leave.
• An application form should be completed and authorised by the Head of School/Department/Unit.
• An application form for parental leave can be obtained from the Diversity and Inclusion Unit’s webpage.