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Special leave for working parents Task

Career break following maternity leave

If you are going on maternity leave you may wish to take a career break. In this case your maternity leave would end as soon as you start your career break. You could be away for up to six years – the full year paid and unpaid maternity leave followed by a career break of up to five years.

Your obligation to return to work for one month, in order to keep your full maternity pay, will be postponed until the end of the break.  If you resign during your career break (or fail to return at the end of it) without having worked the equivalent of one month, you will be obliged to repay the difference between your full maternity pay and any statutory pay to which you are entitled.

Additional children

If you have another baby during your career break you may be allowed to extend your break beyond the normal five year limit. If you want to apply to do this contact HR, who will decide whether to grant this based on your individual circumstances, and the amount of time already spent on a career break. You will not be eligible for paid maternity leave if you become pregnant during a career break.

Adoption leave

If you adopt a child, you may be entitled to adoption leave and pay. Where a couple adopt together, one member of the couple is entitled to adoption leave and pay and the other will be entitled to paternity leave and pay.

To qualify for the ACME adoption leave scheme you must:

  • be newly matched with a child for adoption
  • have completed at least one year’s paid employment with the Civil Service

You are entitled to:26 weeks Ordinary Adoption Leave, two weeks of which may be taken before taking full care of the child for meetings and to help to get to know the child, followed by 26 weeks Additional Adoption Leave. This entitles you to 39 weeks full pay (which incorporates Statutory Adoption Pay) and the remaining 13 weeks will be unpaid.

You must give notice of your intention to take adoption leave within seven days of being notified by your adoption agency that you have been matched with a child. You must also provide your matching certificate as documentary evidence of your entitlement to adoption leave/pay.

If you do not qualify for the ACME scheme and have worked for the Civil Service for 26 weeks ending with the week in which you are matched with a child you have a statutory right to:

  • 26 weeks Ordinary Adoption Leave and Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP) which is paid for 39 weeks at a rate of £112.75 per week, or 90 per cent of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower
  • 26 weeks unpaid Additional Adoption Leave

Paternity leave: for Adoption or Maternity support leave

You are entitled to up to 11 days paid paternity leave on full pay under the ACME scheme provided that you:

  • have or expect to have responsibility  for the child’s upbringing; 
  • are the biological father or the mother’s husband or partner (includes same sex partner); and 
  • have completed one year’s paid employment with the Civil Service.

Your paternity leave can be taken as either two separate weeks or two consecutive weeks’, which must be taken within 56 days of birth or adoption .

If you have worked for the Civil Service for less than a year but more than 26 weeks, you qualify for the statutory:

  • 10 days paternity leave 
  • Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP) / Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP): £112.75 per week, or 90 per cent of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower.

If you do not qualify for Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP) / Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP), you may be entitled to other financial support from your Local Authority.

Parental Leave

If you have one year’s service you have a statutory right to unpaid time off to care for your. Parental Leave applies to staff with children born or adopted on or after 15th December 1999 and up to the age of 5 years. The maximum leave that you can take per child is 13 weeks in any 5 year period, generally taken in blocks or multiples of one week with a maximum of 4 weeks per year. Please see guidance on parental leave on GOV.UK for more information.

Apply special leave  for parents

Speak to your manager and then complete a Workforce Planning Form.