Neonatal care leave and neonatal care pay
Employers across England, Wales and Scotland must be ready for the new right to neonatal care leave, which is available to parents of children born on or after 6 April 2025. To help HR professionals cut through the complexities we explain the legal entitlement in four of the most likely scenarios where a parent gets additional time off because their child requires neonatal care.
While the introduction of neonatal care leave and pay is the key change for HR professionals to get to grips with, there are other employment law changes in April 2025. These include increases to the national minimum wage rates; a rise in statutory redundancy pay; and the uprating of statutory sick pay and family-related pay.
A new right for parents to take up to 12 weeks' neonatal care leave if their baby requires medical or palliative care is introduced on 6 April 2025. Now that the Government has published the remaining legislation needed to bring the new right into force, we set out what HR professionals need to know about neonatal care leave.
In 2025, HR professionals face the unique challenge of dealing with business-as-usual employment law changes, such as increases in statutory maternity, paternity and sick pay, while also beginning their preparations in earnest for the looming Employment Rights Bill. We look at what HR needs to do to meet its employment law obligations and prepare for the coming year
Commentary and insights: HR and legal information and guidance relating to neonatal care leave and neonatal care pay.