Policy hub
Neonatal leave and pay Parents of premature, sick and multiple babies can experience significant challenges, particularly in cases where their baby or babies need neonatal care for a number of weeks or months. Evidence suggests that current leave and pay entitlements do not adequately support parents in these circumstances. In response, the government is seeking views on a proposed new entitlement to neonatal leave and pay (NLP) for parents of babies who require neonatal care following birth; this would give parents one week of NLP for every week that their baby is in neonatal care, up to a maximum number of weeks. This would apply to parents of babies who had spent a minimum of two continuous weeks in neonatal care immediately after birth. The intention is that NLP would be taken after other types of leave such as maternity or paternity leave. ...the benefits to parents far outweighed any burden... All agreed with the suggestion that eligibility criteria for NPL should mirror those for maternity pay and leave, but that guidance should be made much clearer regarding premature births, which would be much more common when NPL requests were received, and notice periods may on occasions be shorter than usual. There was general agreement with the suggestion that NPL should be capped at twelve weeks; however, the interaction with other parental leave, particularly shared parental leave and pay, could be complicated if not well-thought through, particularly as they relate to notice periods that affect each period of leave. Despite a lengthy discussion, there was no resolution to the question of what evidence would be required, particularly for partners, as this leave would be claimed after the two-week paternity leave period had ended. Given that the length of the baby’s stay in neonatal care would be unknown, this leave is likely to be claimed as the absence continues, but it would
bring additional burden to the NHS if they were asked to provide evidence throughout the duration of the baby’s stay. There was the suggestion that perhaps the parents complete a self- declaration, but this was not met with unanimous agreement. It was acknowledged that administration of NPL could be complex; however, there was unanimous agreement that the benefits to parents far outweighed any burden this would bring for employers. n Get involved The policy and research team canvas your views in several ways: ● ● direct 1-2-1 communications i.e. face to face at forums and annual conferences as well as through email and telephone calls ● ● surveys, which provide valuable quantitative and statistical data as well as views and commentary ● ● think tank roundtables which provide an opportunity for CIPP full, fellow and chartered members to meet with government officials to discuss policy proposals. These provide valuable qualitative data which allows us to delve deeper to respond to questions raised in the consultation. Each year we see an increase in the number of think tanks being held – which demonstrates the value they provide – not only to members and the policy team but also to government officials. Full, fellow and chartered members are sent an invitation directly where a think tank has been arranged; however, please also look out for ways of getting involved through News Online , email and social media. If you aren’t currently receiving these emails email policy@cipp.org.uk as we may need colleagues in the membership team to correct your preferences so that you receive the invitations. If you are currently an associate member who simply has not yet found the time to upgrade your membership to that of full member – even though you will easily fulfil the criteria – please give this some thought as we look forward to inviting you to these roundtable events. However, your comments, opinions and experiences are always welcome; please send them to policy@cipp.org.uk .
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| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |
Issue 54 | October 2019
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