Extended leave from April 2025
Following nine years of campaigning for families of premature babies, The Smallest Things is delighted the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) entitlement is coming soon
The long-overdue Neonatal Care Leave and Pay legislation is one step closer to being available to thousands of parents whose babies are born sick or premature. On 20 January 2025, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) announced that new entitlements would finally come into effect from 6 April 2025.
This follows almost a decade of campaigning led by The Smallest Things and powered by the parent voice. As neonatal parents ourselves, we know first-hand how essential these legal changes are for families going through the toughest of times.
“The stress and trauma experienced by families during a neonatal stay cannot be underestimated. In an instant, our world is turned upside down. No parent or carer should be sitting beside an incubator worrying about pay or work. ”
What you need to know:
The new entitlement will come into effect on 6 April 2025.
It will be available to employed parents of babies admitted to hospital up to the age of 28 days who have a continuous stay in hospital of seven days or more.
Eligible parents will be able to take up to 12 weeks of additional leave on top of any maternity or paternity leave. This will be a Day One right (available from your first day on the job).
You will be paid for this additional neonatal leave at the statutory rate if you earn more than £123 per week and have worked for your employer for more than 26 weeks.
The leave must be taken within the first 68 weeks after your baby’s or babies’ birth.
“This much-needed additional leave and pay means parents and carers can be with their baby or babies in hospital. We know the journey doesn’t end when it’s time to go home. The new law will give families essential time at home to bond, begin to recover from trauma and to care for a fragile baby or babies without the pressure of finances or returning to work too soon. ”
Parent voices on a lasting journey
Parents have been fighting for extended paid leave for families of premature babies for over nine years. The Smallest Things harnessed the power of the parent voice, with more than 357,000 people signing The Smallest Things’ petition, to call on the government to extend paid parental leave for neonatal families. Mums, dads and partners have bravely shared their stories of neonatal care and beyond. In doing so they have shone a light on the realities of life after NICU, helping to raise awareness in calling for more time with their babies.
We know it’s a long journey, with more than 80% of parents telling us the neonatal journey doesn’t end when their baby or babies leave the hospital: over half of babies are readmitted and 71% worry about the long-term outcomes for their child. Perhaps unsurprisingly, almost a quarter of parents are diagnosed with PTSD after time in NICU. This additional time will help.
Harry and Sam’s story
“My son Harry spent 107 days in hospital, taking up 3.5 months of my wife Sally’s maternity leave. Harry and Sam were born 15 weeks early at 25 weeks’ gestation in October 2015. Sadly, despite fighting hard, Sam passed away after 16 days yet Harry fought on with lots of challenges. When we finally brought Harry home he was on oxygen and most days were spent at check-ups or hospital visits. It wasn’t until he was six months that appointments became less frequent and by then we were already planning Sally’s return to school as a teacher.
If we had received additional leave, we would have been able to spend more time with Harry and savour being together as a family. We could have had some time to come to terms with the loss of Sam and be more prepared and able to commit to returning to the workforce. Bringing in additional neonatal leave will support families all over the country and enable them to focus on those precious moments you never get back.”
Employer with Heart charter
The Smallest Things ‘Employer with Heart’ goes above and beyond the statutory requirements in the new legislation. Truly compassionate, family-friendly companies and organisations are choosing to offer enhanced benefits to neonatal families and sign our Employer with Heart charter. Does your employer’s logo hang alongside the likes of Sony, Santander, Nationwide and Royal Carribbean in our Hall of Fame?
What enhanced benefits do Employers with Heart offer?
Parents of babies born prematurely (before 37 weeks’) are entitled to extend their parental leave by the number of days between their baby’s birth and their due date (not the number of days they are in hospital).
Extended leave is paid at full pay (not statutory) for the duration.
Employers with Heart support parents returning to work after premature birth and agree to consider flexible working and additional leave applications.
