November is World Prematurity Month, with World Prematurity day on 17th November. We are proud to have signed to the charity The Smallest Things Employer with Heart charter to provide additional support for parents and carers of babies who need neonatal care.
The Council aim to offer a wide range of family friendly, inclusive policies that exceed its statutory requirements so that employees can effectively balance their home and working lives.
Recent developments include the Council becoming a Fostering Friendly employer – find out more about this in the Latest News article.
And the latest development is a change in our Maternity Scheme to support families affected by premature birth.
As such, North Ayrshire Council has been awarded by charity ‘The Smallest Things’ with the nationally recognised ‘Employer with a Heart’ charter mark.
The change in the Council’s Maternity Scheme has been made to support employees affected by premature birth.
Parents – employed by North Ayrshire Council – of babies born at or before 37 weeks will be entitled to receive an extra week’s Premature Baby Leave and Premature Baby Pay for every week until their babies original due date.
Fiona Walker, Head of Service for People and ICT, shares: “I am delighted that the Council has received the ‘Employer with a Heart’ Charter status.
“It is vital as one of North Ayrshire’s largest employers that we help employees and local families who may be dealing with the premature birth of their baby.
“It can be a difficult and worrying time for parents involved and the extended parental leave will help to provide the space emotionally and the support financially during this time. This will hopefully lead to a better postnatal journey.
“The change in policy will mean that parents of babies born at or before 37 weeks will be entitled to receive an extra week’s Premature Baby Leave and Premature Baby Pay for every week until their babies original due date.”
How it works…
The leave entitlement will be added to the end of the employee’s agreed Maternity leave period after the Maternity Leave entitlement has elapsed. Once the employee has ended their maternity leave, they will then move to the premature baby leave/pay. This leave will paid at full pay.
Paternity Leave will also be extended at full pay for qualifying partners.
Employees are advised to notify their Line Manager and the HROperationsTeam@north-ayrshire.gov.uk to advise of the premature birth at the earliest convenience so that necessary arrangements can be made. It is important to note that the employee’s normal maternity pay entitlement will continue to apply and will remain unaffected by this scheme.
Since signing up to the charter earlier this year North Ayrshire Council has agreed to:
- Extend maternity leave for mothers who give birth prematurely (before 37 weeks gestation) by the number of days a baby was born prior to their due date. We will pay this extended leave at full pay.
- Give dads and partners the time they need to be with their baby in hospital. We will grant additional leave for the number of days between their premature baby’s birth date and due date at full pay. This extended leave is in addition to statutory paternity leave or any shared parental leave.
- Continue to support parents returning to work following the birth of a premature baby. We understand that returning to work can be a difficult time for parents of premature babies and that babies born too soon can have ongoing medical needs, requiring regular hospital appointments and check-ups. We will consider formal and informal flexible working patterns and offer additional paid or unpaid leave.
If you require any further information on this, please do not hesitate to contact the HR Team: hroperationsteam@north-ayrshire.gov.uk.