Page 17 - IMO Consultant Guide

The Consultant Guide

Under the act you are required to give notice to your employer at least four weeks’ notice prior to the
placement of a child and the commencement of the leave. You must also provide your employer with
the date of placement as soon as is reasonably practicable. Written notice must be provided to the
employer at least four weeks prior to your intended return to work date.

You are entitled to avail of an additional sixteen weeks adoptive leave. There is no payment by the
employer or the state in respect of the additional leave. You are also entitled to paid time off work to
attend preparation classes and pre-adoptive meetings with social workers. Annual leave and bank
holidays are accrued during adoptive leave.
Adoptive leave is protected, you are entitled to return to the same position you held prior to taking
the leave. You are entitled to take your requested dates, provided you have given enough notice, you
do not have to negotiate on your chosen dates.

Parents Leave

The Parents Leave and Benefit Act (2019) entitles a parent or relevant person to two weeks of leave.
This leave is due to be expanded to 5 weeks for each parent, but this has yet to be implemented.
A relevant person includes, the spouse, civil partner or cohabitant of a parent, the parent of a donor-
conceived child, adoptive parents (the spouse, civil partner or cohabitant of thereof) and each
member of a married same sex couple.
Parent’s leave benefit is paid at a rate of €245 per week provided you have enough social insurance
contributions.

Under the act you are required to provide your employer with a minimum of six weeks written notice
prior to the commencement of the leave. You cannot be denied this leave if you are entitled to it,
however, your requested dates do not have to be granted. Under certain circumstances, the leave can
be postponed for a maximum of twelve weeks. Your employer should notify you in writing if you dates
are to be postponed. Annual leave and bank holidays are accrued during parent’s leave.

Parental Leave

The Parental Leave Act (1998) provide that a relevant parent (as outlined under the Parent’s leave
entitlement) is entitled to take up to twenty two weeks of unpaid parental leave which must be taken
before the child turns twelve years old. This entitlement will increase to twenty-six weeks in
September 2020.

An employee must have one year of service to apply, where an employee has increments of three
months of service, they are entitled to leave of one week for each month of continuous employment.
You are required to notify your employer in writing of your request to take the leave at least six weeks
prior to the commencement date. The application should set out the date of commencement,
duration, and the manner in which it is proposed to take the leave. The employer may request a birth
certificate or other evidence to show the employee is a ‘relevant person’ and the child is in the age
bracket. You should receive a signed confirmation document, confirming the details set out in the
application at least four weeks before the leave begins.

The leave can be taken consecutively, or in blocks of at least six weeks. Under certain circumstances,
the dates of leave can be postponed by the employer for a maximum duration of six months. If an
employer deems it necessary to postpone your chosen dates of leave, written notice must be provided

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