Neonatal Care Leave

Neonatal Care Leave (NCL) is available for employees who meet certain qualifying criteria in accordance with the University's Neonatal Care Leave Policy.

Notification

NCL is categorised under two Tiers:

Tier 1

This is the period which begins when the baby starts receiving neonatal care and ends on the seventh day after the baby stops receiving neonatal care (i.e. one week after discharge).

An employee can take Tier 1 leave in continuous or non-continuous blocks of at least one week at a time (but only after the first seven days of neonatal care). Any remaining entitlement to NCL may be taken in the tier 2 period.

The eligible employee will need to notify their employer before they would be due to start work on the first day of absence, or as soon as possible thereafter. The notice to take leave does not need to be in in writing, but needs to be followed up with a completed Neonatal Care Leave Form.  

Tier 2

Leave that is taken at any other time, during the 68 weeks. For example at the end of the another type of family leave. The eligible employee will need to provide notice at least 15 days before the start of a period of one week leave. This type of leave must be taken in one continuous block of time.

As maternity leave legally starts at the latest, the day the baby is born, maternity leave will be taken first and then neonatal care leave afterwards. Therefore, the majority of mothers/birthing parents will take Tier 2 NCL.

For a period of 2 or more weeks of leave, the employee will need to provide notice at least 28 days before the start of the leave. The notice must be in written form.  

While these notification requirements are set out, the University will view these pragmatically, taking into account the employee is also coping with an ill baby and so no request for leave will be unreasonably refused.