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Family friendly policies
This page contains information about the various family friendly polices that can help with the care of a child, including parental leave.
You can also find out about financial assistance in the form of child benefit, childcare vouchers and other benefits.
Parental leave
Parental leave means parents can take time off to spend with their family. The legislation gives basic rights and allows employers to draft their own policies within its framework. If your employer does not have a policy in place, the regulations contain a fallback policy.
Who is covered?
Parents/adopters entitled to parental leave will have children born/placed for adoption on or after 15 December 1999 and have one year's service by the time they wish to take the leave.
What is parental leave?
Parental leave must be used to care for a child. This can include things like spending time with the child during his/her early years, staying with the child while he/she is in hospital, or settling a child into new childcare arrangements.
How much time off can I take and when can leave be taken?
Each parent is entitled to take 13 weeks' parental leave for each child. The fallback policy allows for a maximum of four weeks to be taken in any one year.
Parents of children born on or after 15 December 1999 can take parental leave up to the fifth birthday of their child. Adoptive parents of children placed on or after 15 December 1999 can take parental leave up to the fifth anniversary of the date of placement (or the child's 18th birthday, if this is earlier).
Notice provisions and pay
There are no notice provisions in legislation, but twenty one days' notice is required under the fallback scheme. The right to take parental leave does not include an entitlement to pay, but your employer has the discretion to award it.
Disabled children
Parents of disabled children who meet the qualifying criteria above can take 18 weeks' parental leave for each disabled child. This leave can be taken up until the child's 18th birthday and may be taken in multiples of single days.
Child tax credit and working tax credit
Child tax credit is for families with at least one child. It is paid in two parts:
family element - paid to every family responsible for a child. It is paid at a higher rate to families with at least one child under the age of one
child element - paid for each child you are responsible for. It is paid at a higher rate if the child is disabled (and at an enhanced rate if severely so).
Working tax credit is for people in paid work (either employed or self-employed). It is made up of a basic adult element plus extra elements paid to:
single parents and couples
couples who work a total of 30 hours a more a week
those who have a disability (and at an enhanced rate if severely disabled)
households who have to spend money on childcare.
HM Revenue & Customs must be informed of any changes to your circumstances such as childcare costs to ensure that you receive the correct amount of tax credit.
Further information about tax credits is available from the HM Revenue & Customs.
Salary sacrifice and childcare vouchers
Since 1 September 2006 teachers in maintained schools and nurseries can participate in salary sacrifice schemes offered by their employers. Other employees have always had the right to participate in salary sacrifice schemes where offered by their employer.
The arrangements mean that teachers will now be able to take part of their pay as a childcare voucher instead of cash. This part of their salary will not be liable for tax or national insurance.
Where salary sacrifice arrangements are provided by employers, participation by teachers is voluntary. However, sacrificing salary for tax advantages can affect entitlement to other state benefits so individual teachers thinking of taking part will need to consider the possible consequences on their personal circumstances carefully.
Further information is available on the Teachernet website.
Other benefits and assistance
As a parent you may be entitled to receive the following benefits:
child benefit - payable tax-free to all mothers, at different weekly rates for the only or eldest child (£18.80 at April 2008) and other children (£12.55 at April 2008)
sick pay and incapacity benefit - if you are too ill to return to work
Sure Start maternity grant - available if you or your partner are receiving income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance, pension credit, or higher forms of child or working tax credit.
Further details on the above benefits are available from your local office of the Department for Work and Pensions, Benefits Agency or JobcentrePlus.
Child trust fund
All children born after 31 August 2002 qualify to receive a voucher for £250 to open a child trust fund. The fund will not be accessible until the child reaches age 18 and can be contributed to by the child's family. Some families on a low income will be eligible to receive an extra £250.
Full details of the scheme can be found on the HM Revenue & Customs website.
Free early education for all children aged 3 and 4
In England all three and four-year-olds are now entitled to a free part-time early education place. This consists of at least 12 and a half hours per week for up to 38 weeks of the year.
For more information contact your local Children's Information Service by calling 0800 2346346 or visiting www.childcarelink.gov.uk.
ATL Trust Fund
The ATL Trust Fund, a registered charity, may be able to help if you are in financial hardship. Examples of how the fund has helped in the past include payments to those not entitled to receive any maternity pay, assistance with the costs of special equipment required after the birth of a child, or help towards the cost of travel to visit a child who has had to remain in hospital.
If you feel that the fund may be able to help you, please contact the fund administrator on 020 7930 6441.
Further education agreements
ATL and the national employers' body (the Association of Colleges) have agreed national guideline agreements which establish recommended minimum standards for colleges and FE institutions for parental and family purposes and dependants' leave.
Need further advice?
Your first point of contact is your ATL rep in your school or college. Your local ATL branch is also available to help with queries, or you can contact ATL's member advisors on tel: 020 7930 6441 or email us. Please have your membership number to hand when telephoning and include it with any correspondence - this will help us to answer your query more quickly.
