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SECTION 3.7
POLICIES & PROCEDURES
Maternity
Paternity
Adoptive Leave
Parental Leave
4.
4.1.
4.2.
4.3.
Maternity, paternity, adoptive leave and
parental leave policies continued...
Procedure
Notification
A member of staff should give notice of her intention to take maternity
leave and the intended date of commencement of that leave, by the start
of the 15th week before the date the baby is due, unless this is not
reasonably practical, in which case she should give as much notice as
possible. She may subsequently change her mind about when she wants
to start her leave, providing she gives at least 28 days’ notice, unless this
is not reasonably practical. An application form for maternity leave and
pay is available from the HR Office. When returning the form, the
applicant should also submit a certificate from the doctor or midwife,
stating the week the baby is expected to be born (form Mat B1).
Approval
On receipt of the formal application, the HR Officer will write to the
member of staff confirming the approval of the application and informing
her of the latest permissible date of return from maternity leave. A
proposed date of return from maternity leave should be agreed with the
Head of Department.
Risk assessment
The HR Officer will arrange for the Health and Safety, Officer or a person
appointed by him, to undertake a risk assessment of the working
environment of the pregnant employee, in order to be able to protect the
safety of the mother and child. Should her working environment or
duties pose any threat to her health and safety, her duties will be
modified or alternative work of a suitable nature will be found for her,
and she will be required to co-operate in adopting these temporary
adjustments. Should adjustments not be possible, the member of staff
will be suspended from work on full pay on medical grounds.
76 S
TAFF HANDBOOK