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Employee Handbook

Policy 11: Paternity policy

About this policy

    1. This policy outlines when an employee may be entitled to paternity leave and paternity pay, and sets out the arrangements for taking it.
    2. You may be entitled to time off to accompany your partner to antenatal appointments or to attend adoption appointments. For more information see the Time Off For Antenatal Appointments Policy or the Time Off For Adoption Appointments Policy.
    3. In some cases you and your partner may be eligible to opt into the shared parental leave (SPL) scheme which gives you more flexibility to share the leave and pay available in the first year. This applies where the Expected Week of Childbirth (EWC) starts on or after 5 April 2015, or if a child is placed with you for adoption on or after that date. This does not affect your right to take two weeks' paternity leave around the time of birth or placement. For information about SPL, see our Shared Parental Leave (Birth) and Shared Parental Leave (Adoption) Policies.

Entitlement to paternity leave

    1. Paternity leave is available on the birth of a child if you have been continuously employed by us for at least 26 weeks ending with the 15th week before the Expected Week of Childbirth and either:
      1. you are the biological father and will have some responsibility for the child's upbringing; or
      2. you are the spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner of the biological mother and will have the main responsibility (with the mother) for the child's upbringing.
    2. Paternity leave is available where a child is placed with you for adoption by an adoption agency, if you have been continuously employed by us for at least 26 weeks ending with the week in which the agency notifies you that you have been matched with a child. In such cases you may be entitled to take adoption leave instead (see our Adoption Policy). However, adoption leave may only be taken by one adoptive parent. Paternity leave is available to the other adoptive parent (of either sex).

Taking paternity leave

    1. Paternity leave is a period of one or two weeks' consecutive leave taken when a child is born or placed with you for adoption. You can start your leave on the date of birth or placement, or later, provided it is taken within eight weeks (56 days) of the birth or placement. (If the baby is premature the period ends eight weeks after the start of the Expected Week of Childbirth.)
    2. To take paternity leave you must give us written notice by the end of the 15th week before the Expected Week of Childbirth (or no more than seven days after the adoption agency notified you of being matched with a child), or as soon as you reasonably can, stating:
      1. the Expected Week of Childbirth;
      2. whether you intend to take one week or two weeks' leave; and
      3. when you would like your leave to start.
    3. You can change the intended start date by giving us 28 days' notice or, if this is not possible, as much notice as you can.

Paternity pay

    1. Statutory paternity pay (SPP) is payable during paternity leave provided you have at least 26 weeks' continuous employment ending with the Qualifying Week (the 15th week before the Expected Week of Childbirth or the week in which the adoption agency notified you of a match) and your average earnings are not less than the lower earnings limit set by the government each tax year. The rate of SPP is set by the government each tax year.

During paternity leave

    1. All the usual terms and conditions of your employment remain in force during paternity leave, except for the terms relating to pay.
    2. Holiday entitlement will continue to accrue during paternity leave. If your paternity leave continues into the next holiday year, any remaining holiday that cannot reasonably be taken before your paternity leave can be carried over to the next holiday year and must be taken immediately before returning to work unless your manager agrees otherwise. You should try to limit carry over to one week's holiday or less. Carry over of more than one week is at your manager's discretion.
    3. If you are a member of our pension scheme, we will make employer pension contributions during paternity leave, based on your normal salary, in accordance with the scheme rules. Any employee contributions you make will be based on the amount of any paternity pay you are receiving, unless you inform the Pensions Administrator that you wish to make up any shortfall.

6.0 Statutory Miscarriage Leave

Northern Ireland has introduced specific statutory miscarriage leave, extending the existing parental bereavement leave framework to cover pregnancy loss before the end of the 24th week. Eligible employees, including partners and others meeting defined relationship criteria, will be entitled to two weeks' leave within 56 weeks of the miscarriage, with statutory pay available as a day one right. The definition of miscarriage covers spontaneous loss and loss following specified medical interventions (including ectopic and molar pregnancies), with the entitlement applying in each instance. No medical evidence will be required, a self-declaration will suffice.

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