UK: Neonatal Care Leave
Authors: Robert Hill, Corinna Harris, and Sophie Jackson
The government has published regulations relating to the new right to neonatal care leave and pay, which will come into force on 6 April 2025.
The government has published regulations confirming that new rights to neonatal care leave and pay will come into force on 6 April 2025.
The new rights will give parents of babies born on or after that date up to 12 weeks’ leave and pay when their baby needs specialist neonatal care for at least 7 continuous days within the first 28 days of birth.
Neonatal leave will be a day one right, but parents will need 26 weeks’ continuous service to qualify for neonatal care pay. This leave and pay will be in addition to existing leave entitlements that the parents may have, such as maternity, paternity and adoption leave.
The leave must be taken within 68 weeks of the birth. The new rules do try to build in flexibility around when the leave is taken, but there is some complexity to the way they work.
Key Action Points for Human Resources and In-house Counsel
Review and update your family friendly policies to include provision for neonatal care leave to ensure they provide for at least the minimum statutory entitlements. Look out for our detailed Insight on this for information and practical steps to help you prepare.
