There are currently no specific provisions in place for parents of newborn babies that require neonatal care and often they have to depend on the discretion of the employer to support them through this challenging time. But this is set to change in April 2025 subject to parliamentary approval.
The facts that we know at the moment are:
– Eligible parents will be entitled to up to 12 weeks of Neonatal Care Leave, with a minimum entitlement of one week
- NCL will apply in respect of children who are born on or after 6th April 2025
- This will be in addition to existing leave entitlements such as maternity, paternity or share parental leave.
- They will be able to take leave in blocks of a week, for each week their baby is in hospital, up to a maximum of 12 weeks.
- This will be a day one right for employees, providing them with immediate access to leave.
- It will apply to babies who are admitted into neonatal care up to 28 days old and who have a continuous stay in hospital of 7 full days or longer.
– Statutory Neonatal Care Pay may also be available to those that meet certain continuity of service and minimum earnings thresholds.
- NCP will require a qualifying period of service
Statutory Neonatal Care Pay is paid at the statutorily prescribed rate (initially £187.18 from April 2025) or 90% of your usual earnings, whichever works out to be less.
Whilst NCL is a day-one right, parents must have 26 weeks of service and meet a minimum earnings threshold to be eligible for Statutory Neonatal Care Pay.
We are currently awaiting further detailed guidance to clarify points such as the eligibility criteria, employer obligations and the medical conditions qualifying for neonatal care leave, so please do keep an eye on our socials and website for when this is released.