Neonatal care leave will make huge difference for parents say campaigners

A new neonatal care leave and pay entitlement will make a “huge difference” for parents, campaigners have said.

Parents of babies in neonatal care will be entitled to an additional 12 weeks of leave and pay if eligible, on top of parental leave, as of April 6.

The 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 neonatal care of seven full days or longer.

The Department for Business and Trade said the measure will aim to “relieve some of the pressure on working families” and “allow them to be by their child’s side without having to work throughout or use up their existing leave”.

Caroline Lee-Davey, chief executive of prematurity charity Bliss, said she was “delighted” the new right was coming into force after having campaigned for it “over many years”.

Ms Lee-Davey told the PA news agency: “We know it will make a huge difference for parents who only want to be by their baby’s cot-side when their baby is very sick in hospital.

“We also know the evidence is clear, babies do best when both parents do their parenting together and are able to play that hands-on role in care.

“We have heard stories over many years particularly from fathers and non-birthing parents who have been back at work while their baby’s still desperately sitting in hospital.”

Catriona Ogilvy, founder of parent-led charity The Smallest Things, said the neonatal entitlement coming into force was a “bittersweet moment”.

Ms Ogilvy added: “We’re absolutely celebrating the new entitlements coming in, but we know there have been hundreds of thousands of families who’ve missed out over this time, particularly since the legislation went through two years ago.”

She added: “Both my children, Samuel and Jack, were born prematurely, and it was in the years after they came home from hospital that we realised that it’s a lasting journey – it’s not just the time in hospital.

“My first eight weeks of Samuel’s life was spent visiting him everyday in intensive care and when you’ve got a really tiny, fragile baby covered in wires and a life support machine, and you’re told that’s your maternity leave, you almost feel robbed off that time with your baby.

“Crucially, when you finally get home, you don’t have the time that you need to recover.

“So it’s going to make such a difference to families to be able to have that time to be with them.”

After meeting with parents and charities on Thursday, employment rights minister Justin Madders said there had been a “groundswell of opinion” in favour of the new rights “for a very long time”.

Mr Madders told PA: “There’s an awful lot of kids that are born prematurely or have to go into hospital shortly after they’ve been born, and dads in particular have not had any legal right to special leave in those circumstances.”

The MP for Ellesmere Port and Bromborough said there would be an “opportunity for employers to get reimbursed”.

He added: “Small employers will get full reimbursement on that so it shouldn’t cost them anything and actually, the best employers understand that they’ve got to support their workforce when it’s a very difficult time.”

Jane van Zyl, chief executive of the Working Families, said the additional leave and pay would “mean parents can be by their baby’s side when they need them most”.

Ms van Zyl added: “We hope employers will build on this support by developing enhanced neonatal polices, as many compassionate employers have already, and consider flexible working, a little of which can go a long way in supporting families.”

Published: 05/04/2025 by Radio NewsHub