As part of a drive to provide better support to working parents, the government is introducing new Neonatal Care Leave legislation, coming into effect for babies born on or after 6 April 2025.
Employers must be prepared to accommodate employees needing time off for neonatal care should the situation arise. This blog post outlines the key aspects of Neonatal Care Leave and Pay, to help organisations provide the right support to their employees while maintaining compliance with employment law.
Neonatal Care Leave is designed to support employees who have a newborn requiring medical or palliative care in a hospital or under the direction of a consultant. Eligible employees can take up to 12 weeks of leave to care for their child.
This leave ensures that parents can focus on their baby’s health without worrying about work obligations, annual leave entitlement, or taking a financial hit from unpaid leave.
Employees qualify for neonatal leave if they are:
And:
Employees can take up to 12 full weeks of leave, which must be used within 68 weeks of the child’s birth. This leave can be taken in two different ways:
Tier 1 is taken while the child is still receiving neonatal care or in the week following the end of their care. This can be taken as non-consecutive weeks.
Taken any other time up to 68 weeks after birth, often following maternity or adoption leave. This can only be taken in consecutive weeks.
Eligible employees can receive Statutory Neonatal Care Pay (SNCP) for up to 12 weeks. To qualify, they must have been continuously employed for at least 26 weeks before the 15th week before the expected birth (or the adoption match week) and earn above the lower earnings limit to qualify for statutory payments.
To request Neonatal Care Leave, employees must provide their employers with the required notice – in some cases, this will be via submitting a request form to the HR department. The notice requirements vary based on the leave type:
Notice must be given before the first day of absence or as soon as is reasonably practical.
Employees must provide at least 15 days’ notice for a leave period of one week and 28 days’ notice for two or more consecutive weeks.
Employers should proactively update their family-friendly HR policies, educate managers, and create a seamless process to deal with any potential Neonatal Care Leave requests ahead of this coming into effect on 6 April 2025.
By doing so, organisations not only demonstrate a commitment to employee wellbeing, but also strengthen their regulatory compliance which in turn, helps to minimise the risk of being hit with costly fines.
The introduction of Neonatal Care Leave and Pay is a significant step towards supporting working parents and navigating these changes as effectively as possible can set you apart as an employer of choice to employees and prospective team members.
If your organisation could benefit from expert HR outsourcing support to manage compliance with the upcoming Neonatal Care Leave (or any other area of employment law!) get in touch with us today.
