Other workplace support

Parental leave

If you have one year of service, you are entitled to 18 weeks parental leave to care for a child. Leave can be taken in blocks of one week up to a maximum of 4 weeks of leave in a year (for each child). It can be taken in single or multiple days. This leave is unpaid unless individual employers offer paid parental leave.

The right to time off in emergencies  

Also known as Time Off for Dependants, this gives all employees the right to take a ‘reasonable’ amount of time off work to deal with an emergency. The employer decides if this time off is paid or unpaid.

An emergency could be a situation like:

• Your usual care arrangements have broken down or been disrupted
• You need to deal with the death of a dependant
• A dependant falls ill, has been assaulted or has been in an accident
• You need to make long-term arrangements for a dependant who is ill or injured (but not to provide long-term care yourself)
• You need to deal with an incident involving a child during school hours

Considering your options 

Your employer may be able to help in ways you have not considered. Talk to them directly about your situation or through your HR department or union representative.  

Beforehand, you should find out more about your employer’s policy for supporting carers – they may already suggest better leave entitlement. Check your: 

• Contract of employment 
• Staff handbook 
• HR policies 
• Letter of appointment 

If you decide to leave your job, make sure you check all your options before you resign. For example: 

• Taking a career break 
• Voluntary redundancy 
• Early retirement