Maternity Leave FAQ's for employees

You can advise them verbally or in writing.

Please refer to maternity flowchart (.pdf)

The earliest your maternity leave can start is 11 weeks before the baby is due.

You must provide your line manager with written notice no later than the 15^th week before the date of birth.

It is possible to change the date your maternity commences provided you give 28 days written notice or if that is not possible as soon as reasonably practicable.

Holiday entitlements continue to accrue during your maternity leave. Any holiday leave already owing should, where possible, be taken before beginning your maternity leave. In cases where this is not possible the remaining annual leave days will be carried over to the new leave year.

(You may be required to take all or part of the holidays carried into a new leave year on particular days as determined by your line manager and service requirements).

All pregnant employees have the right to paid time off to attend ante natal care and must produce evidence of the first appointment if requested to do so by the Line Manager. Ante-natal care can include not only medical examinations but also relaxation and parent craft classes on the advice of registered medical practitioner, midwife or if personal choice annual leave must be requested.

Please note we reserve the right to ask you to re-arrange appointments where it is reasonable to do so. You should wherever possible try to arrange these appointments as near to the start or end of the working day as possible.

If you are absent through sickness, unrelated to your pregnancy whilst you are still working, you will be paid sick pay in the usual way.

You will not receive sick pay while you are on maternity leave but will continue to receive maternity pay for the entitlement period.

If baby is born before the start of your maternity leave (or even before you have notified the Absence Team and your Line Manager of your intended start date) your maternity leave period starts automatically on the day after the birth.

You may be entitled to maternity leave/pay but as you are employed with the Authority on a fixed term contract which is due to end on or during your maternity leave any occupational payments (if eligible) will cease on your termination date. Any remaining Statutory Maternity Pay (if eligible) will be paid as lump sum payment.

However should your contract be extended or you find alternative employment please liaise with your departmental HR Officer and the Absence Team as you may be entitled to additional maternity leave/pay.

It is assumed you will return at the end of your Maternity Leave Period. If you wish to return to work earlier than this then you must give your line manager and the Absence Team at least 8 weeks’ notice of an early return to work.

We are actively committed to supporting a family friendly environment and policies have been developed in support of this. Other options that may be considered include, making an application for flexible working, job-sharing or part-time working. Please see the councils Flexible Working policy and Job share Policy and Procedure for further information.

If you work for anther employer during your statutory maternity pay period but before the baby is born, the Authority should carry on paying statutory maternity pay. If you work for another employer during the statutory maternity leave period but after your baby is born, we will need to check whether you worked for the other employer during the 15^th week before your baby was due. If you did, statutory maternity pay should be paid as usual.

If, however, you are working for another employer for which you did not work during the 15^th week before your baby was due, we will stop paying statutory maternity pay from the start of the week that you worked for the other employer. It is up to you to inform us that you are working for someone else during your statutory maternity pay period.

If after confirming your intention to return to work you decide not to return for at least 13 weeks you may be asked to repay some of the pay you have received. See the Maternity Leave policy for further details.