1. Introduction

1.1 Parental leave legislation gives parents the right to unpaid time off work to look after a child or to make arrangements for the child’s welfare.  This policy sets out entitlements to parental leave and the obligations of members of staff who wish to exercise those entitlements, and aims to balance the needs of the University with the needs of the member of staff.  

1.2 This policy reflects the University’s commitment to promote equality in all its activities in line with the University’s Equality & Diversity policy which can be viewed at: www.gla.ac.uk/services/equalitydiversity/equalitydiversitypolicy/

2. Qualifying criteria

2.1 To qualify for unpaid parental leave the member of staff must be the mother/father of the child (natural or adoptive), or have legal parental responsibility for them, and must have completed at least one year's continuous service with the University.

2.2 In addition, the member of staff must meet one of the following conditions:

• their child is under the age of 5;
• their adopted child is under the age of 18;
• the child, for whom they have acquired formal parental responsibility, is under the age of five;
• their child/adopted child is under the age of 18 and has been awarded disability allowance.

3. Entitlement

3.1 A member of staff who meets the qualifying criteria will be entitled to up to 13 weeks' unpaid parental leave per child up until the child’s 5th birthday.  In the case of an adopted child this leave entitlement will be granted up until the 5th anniversary of the adoption or until the child’s 18th birthday, whichever is sooner. 

3.2 A member of staff who is the parent or adoptive parent of child who has been awarded disability allowance is entitled to up to 18 weeks' unpaid parental leave, which can be taken up to the child's 18th birthday.

3.3 Where both parents are employed by the University, each parent is entitled to 13 weeks’ unpaid leave for each child.

3.4 Parental leave may only be taken in blocks or multiples of a week, except where the child has been awarded a disability living allowance in which case parental leave may be taken one day at a time or in multiples of one day. 

3.5 Eligible members of staff can take up to four weeks’ parental leave in any 12 month period.  For these purposes, the 12 month period commences from the date that the member of staff becomes entitled to parental leave in respect of the child in question.

4. Applying for parental leave

4.1 Members of staff must normally give their line manager at least 21 days’ notice of the requested leave. 

4.2 Requests for parental leave should be made through Employee Self Service, and should specify the start and end date of the leave period.  

4.3 The request for leave will be authorised (or postponed*) by the line manager through Manager Self Service within 5 working days of receipt of the request.

4.4 Where the member of staff is making their first request for parental leave with the University, they should, where requested, provide documentary evidence such as a copy of the child’s birth/adoption certification. 

4.5 College/University Services Human Resources will write out to the member of staff within 5 days of the request being approved to confirm the dates of the leave period, and to set out the implications relating to terms and conditions.

*The line manager, following discussions with the relevant College/University Services HR Manager, may postpone the parental leave for up to 6 months where it is considered that the timing of the leave requested would be unduly disruptive to the operation of the School/RI/Service.  Where the decision is taken to postpone the leave, the line manager will explain to the member of staff the reason for the postponement and will consult with them about alternative dates when the leave can be taken. Please note, parental leave cannot be postponed where the requested leave is immediately after the birth or adoption of a child.

5. Terms and conditions during/after parental leave

5.1 Whilst on parental leave the member of staff will:

• retain continuity of employment;
• be entitled to progress through the normal annual increments on the University’s salary scale in accordance with their terms and conditions of employment; 
• be entitled to conditions of service relating to notice of termination, redundancy compensation and disciplinary and grievance procedures;
• not receive pay, and superannuation payments will be suspended during this period*;
• not accrue annual leave entitlement;
• not be entitled to sick pay/leave.

5.2 At the end of a period of parental leave (where the leave has been for four weeks or less), the member of staff will generally return to the job in which they were employed prior to the leave. 

*Please note, during this period the member of staff will be treated as a deferred member of the pension scheme (for further information on pension implications please contact Payroll).

6. Policy review

This policy will be regularly reviewed by the University and may be amended at any time following appropriate consultation.