UNPAID parental leave has increased from 22 to 26 weeks for each eligible child before their 12th birthday.
Here’s everything you need to know about taking parental leave and how to apply.
WHAT IS PARENTAL LEAVE?
Parental leave entitles parents to take unpaid leave from work to take care of their children.
Parents can take up to 26 weeks of parental leave for each eligible child before their 12th birthday or 16th birthday for a child with a disability.
Usually, you must have been working at the place of employment for at least one year to get the full amount of parental leave.
Employers should be given six weeks notice before leave is taken.
Parental leave differs from parent’s leave, which is specifically for parents during the child’s first year.
HOW LONG IS IT FOR?
Before September 1, parents could take up to 22 weeks of parental leave.
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However, this has been increased to now allow parents to take up to 26 weeks of parental leave.
Both parents can take parental leave.
Female employees are eligible for maternity leave which includes 26 paid and up to 16 unpaid weeks.
New parents of children under six months of age, but not the mother of the child, are eligible for paternity leave.
This, as well as parent’s leave for any parents of children under one year of age or in first year of adoption, includes two weeks of paid leave.
WHAT ARE THE RULES?
To be eligible for parent’s leave, one must be the parent of the child, a spouse, civil partner, cohabitant of the parent of the child or the adopting parent(s) of a child.
Leave must be taken within 52 weeks of the birth of the child or from the date the child is placed in your care.
Leave can be taken either in one continuous period of two weeks or in periods no less than a week.
Parent’s leave cannot be transferred between parents except in extreme circumstances such as the death of one of the parents.
While on leave, you are entitled to build up your annual leave and public holidays and return to your job when the leave is finished.
HOW DO I APPLY?
To apply for the leave you must give your notice in writing at least six weeks before the leave is due to start.
The notice must include the start date, the way the leave will be taken and how long the leave will last.
The leave can only be refused by the employer if you are not eligible to take it.
Employers may also postpone any parent’s leave for up to 12 weeks.
To apply for parents or parental leave, contact the parent’s benefit section, part of the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection.
Parents are protected against penalisation and unfair dismissal for claiming their rights under parent’s leave legislation.
Complaints about parental leave can be done on the online form within six months of the dispute or complaint occurring.
WHAT HAVE POLITICIANS SAID ABOUT IT?
Meanwhile, Higher Education Minister Simon Harris has said he will take paternity leave when his second child is born later this year, and has urged other dads to do the same.
He said he didn’t get the time he would have liked while he was the Minister for Health when his first daughter was born.
He said working in health during the pandemic had an “intensity” he had never experienced before and moving to such a different role was an “adjustment”.
He told Nicola Bardon on Tis Yourself podcast that he is set on taking paternity leave this time around as baby number two is on the way.
He said: “It’ll be exciting and we’re looking forward to it. I’m hoping I’ll get a chance to take a bit of time when that happens because obviously I was Health Minister when my daughter was born.
“I tried to take some time in terms of paternity leave, it was a pretty busy time in Health and I didn’t get to take the protected time that I’d like and I’m really determined this time to do it, to take paternity leave.”
Harris added: “I’m determined to do it for myself and my family but I’m also determined to do it because I think it’s really important.
“I think it’s really important in my visible role to do that as well because I hope it’ll encourage more people to do it.
“It’s right and proper we talk a lot about maternity leave and we’ve a huge body of work that we need to do as a country on that but I think it’s also important that we talk about paternity leave, parental leave and that we enable fathers to have that protected time as well so that they can play the full role that they want to play as well.”