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Parental leave and time off for dependants

Employees may at some point need to take time off work to care for children or other dependants. An employee who is a parent may have the right to take unpaid leave to care for their children. An employee also has the right to take a reasonable time off work to deal with an emergency involving a dependant.

Unpaid parental leave

The rules on unpaid parental leave are contained in the Maternity and Parental Leave Regulations 1999 (‘the MPL Regulations’). The Government guidance on unpaid parental leave can be found on the GOV.UK website.

The terms on which parental leave is taken may be agreed through a collective or workforce agreement incorporated into individual contracts, but in the absence of such an agreement, the default provisions set out in the Regulations apply. The position set out below is as prescribed by the default provisions.