EDNA endeavours to help and assist colleagues who wish to use their right to take paternity leave. This policy outlines paternity leave entitlements and how colleagues should arrange this period of leave.

Eligibility

You will meet the eligibility criteria for paternity leave if you:

• are the child's father, the mother's husband, or partner (whether of the same or different sex) or one partner in a couple who are both entitled to apply for, and propose to apply for, a parental order for the child
• have been employed and performed work for your employer for a minimum period of 26 weeks by the end of the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth (EWC)
• will be or expect to be responsible for the child's upbringing, where you are the father, or expect to be mainly responsible for the child's upbringing where you are the mother's husband or partner but not the father of the child
• have given the required notice of your intention to take leave
• have not previously taken shared parental leave for the same child.

Paternity leave following adoption.

You will be eligible for paternity leave and pay on the adoption of a child if you:

• will be or expect to be mainly responsible for the child's upbringing
• are married to the child's adopter or the partner of the child's adopter (whether of the same or different sex)
• have been employed and performed work for your employer for a minimum period of 26 weeks by the end of the week, the matching notification is given to the child's adopter
• have given the required notice of your intention to take leave and, where requested, have provided evidence
• have not previously taken shared parental leave for the same child.

When does paternity leave start?

Paternity leave lasts for a fixed period of one week or two consecutive weeks. You may not take individual days or separate weeks as paternity leave. Leave can be chosen to start:

• from the birth date or date of adoption (whether this date is sooner or later than anticipated) or
• on a specific day after the birth date or date of adoption (whether this day is sooner or later than anticipated) or
• from a specific date that is after the first day of the EWC (in birth cases and not adoption) or