Eligibility

1.1       All eligible employees, regardless of hours worked or length of service, have the right to take a maximum of one week’s unpaid leave during any 12-month period to provide or arrange care for a dependant with a long-term care need.

1.2       The entitlement to a maximum of one week’s unpaid leave is irrespective of the number of dependants and may be taken as either a continuous block, or individual full or half days within 12 months.

Purpose and Definition

2.1    The time off is intended to be absence from work to provide or arrange care for a dependent with a long-term care need, or who reasonably relies on the employee for care.

2.2    A “dependant” is a parent, spouse, civil partner, child, or someone who lives in the same household as the employee, but excluding tenants, lodgers or boarders, or someone who is employed by the employee.

2.3       Long term care is when the dependant has:

• any physical or mental illness or injury that requires or is likely to require care for more than three months.
• a condition or illness that is considered a disability under with the Equality Act 2010
• care needs connected with their old age.

Entitlement

3.1 For employees who work regular hours, a “week of carer’s leave” is the period of absence from work that is equal in duration to the period the employee is normally expected or required to work in a week at the time of making the request. 

3.2       Part time employees who work regular hours throughout the year will be entitled to a proportionate amount of leave based on their hours.  For example, someone who works a 3-day week, will be entitled to 3 days unpaid carer’s leave. 

3.3       For employees who work variable hours and/or term time, we will calculate entitlement by using actual hours worked in a ‘relevant period’.  A ‘relevant period’ as defined by the Regulations is a period of 12 months which ends on the last day of the Carer’s Leave that the employee has requested.  To calculate, the Council will divide the total of the periods for which the employee is normally required to work during the course of a week in the relevant period by 52.  For new starters with less than 52 weeks service, this calculation will be based on the length of time that they have been employed with the Council.

Requesting Leave

4.1       To help the Council to manage the planned absence from work, if you intend on taking a period of leave, you required to provide notice that is double the length of time that is being requested or at least three days in advance, whichever provides the greater amount of notice.

Postponement of Leave

5.1       The Council reserve the right to postpone carer’s leave if we believe that the absence would unduly disrupt the Council.  If we deem it necessary to postpone carer’s leave, we will notify you in writing within seven days of receipt of you request for carer’s leave, setting out the reason for the postponement.

5.2       We will also offer alternative dates on which carer’s leave can be taken. The leave will not be postponed later than one month after the start of the original request.

5.3       Failure to follow the Council’s procedures for taking carer’s leave could lead to disciplinary action under our disciplinary procedure for absence without leave.

Terms and Conditions

6.1       During the time off, you continue to be bound by and remain entitled to the benefit of your normal terms and conditions of employment, except for terms relating to wages or salary. You will remain employed by us and accrue unbroken continuity of service and continue to accrue holiday entitlement.