Parents whose babies require specialist care after birth will be able to take additional paid time off work, under new legislation backed by the Government.
A baby who is born prematurely or sick will receive neonatal care in hospital or another agreed care setting – often for a prolonged period of time. This can put parents in a difficult position of having to use their existing leave entitlements to be by their baby’s side, or worse, having to return to work while their baby is still receiving hospital care.
The new Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Bill, introduced by Stuart C McDonald MP and backed by the Government, will allow parents to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave, in addition to other leave entitlements such as maternity and paternity leave, so that they can spend more time with their baby at what is a hugely stressful time.
Once in law, neonatal care leave will be available to employees from their first day in a new job and will apply to parents of babies who are admitted into hospital up to the age of 28 days, and who have a continuous stay in hospital of 7 full days or more.
As many parents across the UK are facing rising cost of living, these reforms will help ease future pressures on families whose children require neonatal care by ensuring they aren’t forced with the choice of taking unpaid leave or continue working. As well as supporting families, it will also help employers who want to better support their staff.
Business Minister Jane Hunt said:
“Having a new-born in neonatal care is an incredibly worrying time for parents. No family should also have to agonise about their return to work, or whether they have enough leave in place.
“By putting our full weight behind this Bill, I hope we can take one concern off the minds of new parents and give them the additional paid time off they need to care for their poorly baby.”
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When are the left out category of workers going to get time off and special considerations like every other group seems to.
that being the single, able bodied male/female with no kids and no disabilities.
we are just expected to continue working and pandering to the needs of everyone else, whilst paying higher taxes, to keep all these people off work and then we end with less take home pay than they get in benefits.
Amen People who chose to have a child or children used to be worse off and people if you said you were going to have a baby, ‘Best do more overtime then mate’
NOW people do LESS hours to get their wages made up to normal levels, AND get heavily subsidised rent and council tax, and free prescriptions and dental care for the whole family, and all the extra energy, inflation hand outs, plus free boilers, insulation AND they have half the week off to laze around on the beaches etc
That is why employers can’t find workers, because anyone with a womb and the partner of such is doing 20 hours work a week and living like the rich.
How right you are Isle of Wighter
we like you work hard and long and get absolutely nothing given to us unlike those who know how to milk the system in every way they can to avoid working for a living.
its no wonder the working class people moan, as its us that’s keeping all the milkers in a way they they have become accustom to , and most not all wouldn’t have it no other way
If you take home less than what you get in benefits, you ought to find yourself a new job because the one you doing clearly isn’t very good. I work full time, am not entitled to any handouts and am far better off financially doing that instead of claiming benefits. If you can’t, you ought to question your skill and ability rather than pointing finger in the direction of Pan estate. Or maybe get yourself a kid and a disability and see for yourself how much greener the grass really is.
Bob, firstly not everyone has the mental ability to do well paying jobs, and, like physical disability, not having the mental capacity to do such isn’t their fault.
Clearly there are always top jobs and low end jobs but all need filling, so what are you suggesting for the lower end jobs market, slaves, robots or idiots to work them?
Whilst the BBC etc love to show deeply dedicated intelligent parents caring for a disabled child, we all see druggy, uncaring alcoholic types pushing buggies who should never own a goldfish, let alone a child
And many disabled kids are likely from drugs that the ‘caring parents consumed’, and WE are sick of paying for such low life to increase in numbers to ruin our children’s futures too.
What spectacular display of true island colours in the comments section. Nobody chooses to give birth prematurely, nor can you postpone your maternity leave for when your child leaves neonatal care – it automatically starts when the child is born. Isle of narrow minds and wide mouths… coincidentally the number one reason I decided to get off it.