What are the basic rules for all parental leave schemes?
• 13 weeks’ parental leave for each child; • 18 weeks’ parental leave for each disabled child; • for parents of children born or adopted on or after 15 December 1999, the employee’s rights to take the leave last until the child’s fifth birthday or until five years have elapsed following placement in the case of adoption; • for parents of children born or adopted between 15 December 1994 and 14 December 1999, the employee’s right to take the leave lasts until 31 March 2005, (oruntil the child’s 18th birthday if this is sooner, in the case of adoption); • parents of disabled children are able to use their leave over a longer period, up until the child’s 18th birthday; • the employee will remain employed while on parental leave; some terms, such as contractual notice and redundancy terms will still apply; • where the leave is taken for a period of four weeks or less and is either an isolated period of leave or the last of two or more consecutive periods of leave which did not include any
