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New employment rights for partners

1st October 2014

From 1 October, an expectant father or the partner (including a same sex partner) of a pregnant woman will be entitled to take unpaid time off work to accompany the woman to up to two of her ante-natal appointments.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has issued guidance entitled “Time off to accompany a pregnant woman to ante-natal appointments. Employer guide” (September 2014).

From 1 October 2014, an expectant father or the partner (including same sex) of a pregnant woman will be entitled to take unpaid time off work to accompany the woman to up to two of her ante-natal appointments. This right was introduced by the Children and Families Act 2014.

This guidance looks at

  • who is entitled to time off
  • how much time off can be taken
  • who has the right if the woman’s husband is not the father of the child (the answer is ‘both’)
  • what rights a father has if he is expecting a baby with two different women
  • evidence the father will need to provide
  • what happens if the employer refuses time off
  • victimisation for asserting the right to attend appointments.

The guidance is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/351413/bis-14-1063-time-off-to-accompany-a-pregnant-woman-to-ante-natal-appointments-employer-guide.pdf

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