Thousands of working families with babies in neonatal care will be entitled to additional time off as a day one right from April

The new benefit is set to affect an estimated 60,000 new parents when it comes into force at the start of the new tax year and will be a day one right for employees.

Neonatal care leave will apply to parents of babies who are admitted into neonatal care up to 28 days old and who have a continuous stay in hospital of seven full days or longer.

These measures will allow eligible parents to take up to 12 weeks of leave (and, if eligible, pay) on top of any other leave they may be entitled to, including maternity and paternity leave. This means that a mother whose baby is in neonatal care for 15 weeks will get her usual 52 weeks’ maternity leave and then another 12 weeks immediately after.

The government has laid regulations to implement the change, which subject to parliamentary approval, will take effect from 6 April 2025 and follows the passing of the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act in 2023.

The rules will be effective across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Employment rights minister Justin Madders said: ‘Parents of children in neonatal care have more than enough to worry about without being concerned about how much annual leave they have left or whether they’ll be able to make ends meet.

‘This entitlement will deliver certainty to them and their employers, setting baseline protections that give them the peace of mind to look after the one thing that matters most – their newborn baby.’

The government stressed that neonatal care leave will be a day one right, meaning that it will be available to an employee from their first day in a new job.

Croner-i article January 2025

https://www.croneri.co.uk/

The Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023 (Commencement No. 2) Regulations 2025