James Zammit-Garcia from Liverpool started the petition five weeks ago because he was increasingly worried about the wellbeing of families with babies due to the knock-on effects of the lockdown. We use this information to make the website work as well as possible and improve government services. Shared Parental Leave. Mothers on maternity leave are calling for the government to extend paid time off because the pandemic has left them isolated from support services and without childcare to return to … Maternity allowance. I’ve had to extend my maternity leave and take it unpaid. Taking paid holiday immediately before your maternity leave will effectively Increase your leave. A temporary extension to a full year would cost £1,965.60 per family, although campaigners have not specified who would be eligible to claim. You may be able to take this holiday at the end of your leave, which will effectively extend your leave. The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has stated there are no plans to extend paid leave at present, telling petitioners: “The UK’s maternity leave offer is already amongst the most generous in the world.”. Can the government extend our paid maternity leave to keep our vulnerable babies safer for longer at home whilst in this Covid-19 crises? Most of my family, who live in Northern Ireland, have not met her in person yet.”. Maternity pay. MATERNITY leave and pay should be extended by three months because of coronavirus, MPs have demanded. You must also give at least 4 weeks’ written notice if you want to take the 16 weeks’ additional maternity leave. I’m one of the thousands of new Mums and Parents who have found it extremely hard on Maternity/ Parental Leave. Kirsty, from Harlow, Essex, says: “I have no choice but to take three months’ unpaid leave at the end of my statutory maternity pay. Dr Alain Gregoire, the chairman of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, said the organisation was hearing of “a huge increase” in mental health need among pregnant women and new mothers, “possibly beyond what we are seeing the general population”. We know that women are struggling to organise safe, reliable, affordable childcare and many cannot return to work as they had planned. “He screams when I leave the room or if he sees other adults through the window. “The stay at home order has disrupted that routine, meaning he does not get proper sleep and that my baby and I are missing out on the support and development we needed.”. You can notify them earlier than this, and there are many reasons why this can be a good idea. You can unsubscribe at any time. If you want to extend your time away from work beyond this, you may need to … But the stress of her high-risk pregnancy saw the Londoner suffer with postnatal depression and she sought support from her health visitor, family and other mums at groups she attended. “The anxiety and stress we feel has gone through the roof, but I can’t even see my GP face to face to get help for my mental health. If you can’t take your holiday because you’re on maternity leave, your employer should let you carry over up to 5.6 weeks of unused days (28 days if you work 5 days a week) into your next holiday year. An employee who has taken 12 months unpaid parental leave can apply to extend their … It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. You’ve accepted all cookies. While furlough and the self-employed income support scheme are helping with family incomes, we know that women are facing financial pressures to return to work before they are ready. newspaper archive. To help us improve GOV.UK, we’d like to know more about your visit today. Requests are at the employer’s discretion however, while organisations in receipt of public funds – such as schools, hospitals and councils – are not eligible for the scheme. She was due to return towork by 30th October, 1995, but this was extended due to ill healthby four weeks until 27th November, (in accordance with thestatutory provisions). But this will not start until 2023 and Olivia, from Ashtead, Surrey, is due back to work as a teacher in October. “Having an extension of the paid leave would take off the pressure, financially and emotionally, so I can tackle Lily’s separation anxiety and not worry about the bills.”. Goodbyes could be tough. “Being on maternity leave meant we were on a tight budget anyway. Read the response in full. Mother-of-two Kirsty Pearce faces going into debt because she cannot get childcare for her baby and has had to extend her maternity leave without pay. You can use this maternity leave extension letter in UK, India, Canada, Australia and other countries of the world. This gives mothers less time with their new babies, which is deeply unfair. The UK’s Maternity Leave offer is already amongst the most generous in the World – up to 52 weeks of leave are available, 39 weeks of which are paid – and we currently have no plans to extend it. The mother, who is also having to home school her 12-year-old daughter Maya while caring for Jake, is ineligible for furlough because she works for a school and they are exempt from the scheme. Your employees must give you 28 days’ notice of the date they want to start their SMP. See our article on Statutory Maternity Pay. “Since the lockdown I haven’t been able to see her but the stress of the situation has meant my mental health is suffering. We are hearing from a lot of women facing unfair selection for redundancy, which we also saw after the 2008 financial crash. “We’re having to look at options like loans to cover our bills and family have offered to help out financially. The first three months of Olivia Rodrigues’s maternity leave were spent in hospital with her very premature little girl. Don’t worry we won’t send you spam or share your email address with anyone. Any further requests for an extension have to be agreed between the employer and employee. I believe I qualify for SMP. If they want to extend their leave an employee has to give 4 weeks written notice before their leave ends stating their new end date. Extend maternity leave letter sample from job in office, school, principal, manager or boss for females after the child delivery or pregnancy period. Dear Ms. Jones, I'm writing to let you know of my pregnancy and intention to take a 12-week maternity leave. Thousands in a similar position are campaigning on social media and have signed a petition for a three-month extension to maternity pay. We really cannot afford this. I understand that I qualify for 52 weeks’ maternity leave, made up of 26 weeks ordinary maternity leave and a further 26 weeks additional maternity leave. You can refuse to pay SMP if your employee does not give you this notice and they do not give you a reasonable excuse. No, despite petitions to lengthen the amount of time you get on maternity leave, there have been no changes made. I’m due to return to work from maternity leave in 3 weeks (I’ve taken 7 months so far). You must notify your employer of your intention to take maternity leave by the end of the 15th week before your child is due, and you must give your employer the information in writing if they request it. Workers stood down from their jobs under this system are paid up to 80 percent of their monthly wage, capped at £2,500, and government guidelines allow companies to use this to relieve staff with caring responsibilities. ... UK maternity leave … Their husband can also apply for Parental Leave and flexible working, and may also have entitlement to Shared Parental Leave. Organising childcare for a new baby was a challenge before the pandemic and has become extraordinarily difficult in the current environment. To benefit from maternity leave, you should tell your employer by the end of the 15th week before the week your baby is due, when you give notice of your intention to take maternity leave and claim Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP). You can unsubscribe at any time. The cross-party House of Commons Petitions Committee has held two hearings on the topic, taking evidence from parents and experts, with 32 MPs backing an Early Day Motion to table a debate. This is usually the same date they want to start their leave. “There are obviously thousands of new mothers and mothers-to-be out there who are having their maternity leave at an incredibly difficult time. Statutory maternity pay 2020: How much is statutory maternity pay? Ordinary Maternity Leave - first 26 weeks Additional Maternity Leave - last 26 weeks You do not have to take 52 weeks but you must take 2 weeks’ leave after … Women should check their annual leave entitlements and consider taking a period of Parental Leave or request flexible working arrangements, such as reduced hours or home working. In February 1995,she gave notice that she intended to exercise her right to returnto work after extended maternity leave. Maternity pay lasts for 39 weeks but maternity leave lasts for 52 weeks (the last 13 weeks is usually unpaid). We’ll send you a link to a feedback form. Women on maternity leave have additional protections against unfair redundancy, however these protections cease at the end of their leave. She says: “I will need time off her many appointments and I know I will not mentally capable of going back, meaning I will have to take unpaid leave. As set out above, the current protections apply only to women on maternity leave. If an employee wishes to extend their maternity leave beyond the 26 weeks of OML, they enter Additional Maternity Leave (AML). You get the same amount of maternity leave and pay even if you have more than one baby, for example twins. You can change your cookie settings at any time. The extra time would allow me time to do normal things, like introducing my family to my daughter, and take her for a walk. Here's how, Parents with young children could receive free childcare, Alex Jones speaks out on regret at returning to The One Show too soon. You are entitled to 52 weeks’ Statutory Maternity Leave, made up of 26 weeks’ Ordinary Maternity Leave and 26 weeks’ Additional Maternity Leave. Returning to your job. You are entitled to take up to 52 weeks’ maternity leave. Even if I could find a nursery place, I wouldn’t be able to go inside to do the usual settling in sessions.”. You will not be able to give this notice until you receive your MATB1 maternity certificate which will be issued by your midwife or GP once you are at least 20 weeks’ pregnant. Many women have been forced to commence maternity leave weeks or months earlier than planned. In March, the government announced it would be introducing up to 12 weeks’ extra paid leave for parents whose child has to spend time in a neonatal unit. {Subject Box} 🏼 [Your Name, Postcode, Extend Maternity Petition Covid-19 (Excluded UK, APPG)] Dear [MP], My name is [insert your name]. order back issues and use the historic Daily Express All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated, Check you can afford to take on employees, Make your workplace safe and accessible for employees, Check your responsibilities around workplace pensions, Get your business ready to employ staff: step by step, Check whether you need full time or part time staff, Check the different types of employment status, Check how much the National Minimum Wage is, Find out how much National Insurance you need to pay for your employees, Check how much sick pay your employees are eligible for, Check how much you need to pay towards your employee's pension, Check how much Maternity Leave you need to pay your employees, Check how much Paternity Leave you need to pay your employees, Make your workplace accessible for employees with disabilities or health conditions, Find out what you need to check when you employ someone, If you decide to run payroll yourself, choose payroll software, Understand your pension responsibilities as an employer, Find out about Employers' Liability insurance, Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance and support, Transparency and freedom of information releases, they want to start their maternity leave - they can change this with 28 days’ notice. You build up holiday as normal while you’re on maternity leave. More than three-quarters of parents who have signed the petition said they would not be able to find childcare to return to work in the current circumstances due to nursery closures and grandparents being off limits, with 81 percent considering a delay. Ask for leave extension and suggest a new date. After four miscarriages, Grace Cullen was overjoyed when her daughter Lily arrived eight months ago. Maternity leave is a … Make sure that there is someone to cover for you. During ordinary maternity leave, you will qualify for holiday at your usual rate including an allowance for bank holidays. In an official response, it explained that returning mums were eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and could be furloughed at the end of maternity leave to extend paid time off. The financial worry of this will make my mental health deteriorate further. 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