Our Parental Leave Handbook

We encourage you to let us know as soon as you feel comfortable sharing your news especially due to the risk critical nature of some of our roles. Early notification helps us work together to plan any support, adjustments, or leave you may need—ensuring a smooth and positive experience for you. You must inform your supervisor and the HR Team by the end of your 25^th week of pregnancy.

You are entitled to reasonable paid time off for antenatal appointments, you may be asked to produce evidence to support these appointments.

You continue to accrue annual leave whilst on maternity leave and this must be taken in full prior to you return to work

If you are on ordinary maternity leave (the first 26 weeks) on a Public Holiday, you will be granted a days’ leave in lieu of that Public Holiday. This only applies to public holidays that you would have normally been scheduled to work.

Options are available to you if you are a member of the Local Government Pension Scheme (Green Book and Control staff). You can choose to continue to pay contributions or opt out of the scheme before you start maternity leave. This will mean that you do not need to pay pension contributions during the paid part of your maternity leave. Pension contributions will cease during any period of unpaid additional maternity leave. Further information can be obtained from the Pension Provider or the Finance Team. Members of the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme should consult West Yorkshire Pension Fund for more specific details.

The earliest you can start your maternity leave is 11 weeks before the baby’s due, however there may be occasions such as early pregnancy that means due to the early arrival of the baby then your leave can start sooner.

Where a baby is born prematurely, i.e. born before 37 weeks, the maternity leave period starts automatically on the day following the birth. You must inform your line manager and HR as early as possible so pay can be adjusted.

If you are using a surrogate and you will become the legal parent at birth, you are not entitled to maternity leave so should refer to the adoption leave section. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/legal-rights-when-using-surrogates-and-donors.

If you are going to be a surrogate and carry a baby, you are entitled to the maternity leave and pay detailed above, subject to eligibility. What a surrogate does after the child is born does not affect their right to maternity leave.

If you are undergoing fertility treatment in attempt to get pregnant or supporting someone who is undergoing such treatment, please refer to the policy here: https://d85dsqxzgf7l9.cloudfront.net/files/Policies/Fertility-Treatment-Policy.pdf.

If, after the fourth week before the expected week of childbirth, you are absent from work wholly or partly because of reasons relating to pregnancy, this will automatically trigger your maternity leave.