Islington Council awarded Employer with Heart accreditation for premature baby policy

The council has released new plans to support its staff if they become parents of premature babies requiring neonatal care.

Under the new policy, parents working at Islington Council will be entitled to additional paid leave if their baby is born prematurely.

Every year, around 37,000 babies are born prematurely (before 37 weeks of pregnancy) in the UK.

Research by The Smallest Things found that almost half of those babies are re-admitted to hospital following neonatal care, with 63% of mothers experiencing anxiety after leaving their baby or babies to come home.

Parents can wait weeks for their newborn to be allowed to come home, often having to travel back and forth from hospital.

The council’s policy offers support for the parents of premature babies, including same-sex partners and adoptive parents.

It means that mothers are entitled to extended paid leave for the number of working days or weeks that their baby is born prematurely up to their due date.

Therefore, if a baby arrives eight weeks before their due date, the mother who gives birth will be entitled to an additional eight weeks paid leave.

The policy also means that fathers or same sex partners of premature infants are entitled to four weeks additional paid leave up to the baby’s original due date.

Meanwhile, if a baby is born full-term but has to be kept in hospital due to sickness, parents can receive up to four weeks neonatal leave.

Cllr Andy Hull, executive member for finance, performance and community safety at Islington Council, said: “Having a premature baby can be an extremely challenging and stressful time for any parent. 

“We really value our employees and want to support them as best we can, so we have taken this step to give parents who find themselves in this situation more time with their baby.

“Our Employer with Heart accreditation is another example of how committed Islington Council is to supporting the welfare of our staff.”

Catriona Ogilvy, founder and trustee of The Smallest Things, said: “We are pleased that Islington Council has taken this ground-breaking step of recognising and supporting families of premature babies and has been awarded our ‘Employer with Heart’ accreditation.

“Visiting a premature baby on a neonatal intensive care unit is a traumatic, distressing time for parents without the added worry of work and pay. It certainly shouldn’t count as parental leave.

“The council’s new policy gives parents precious time to bond with their fragile babies outside of the hospital environment and take care of them at home for longer. We are delighted that Islington Council is joining The Smallest Things in encouraging all employers to provide extended leave to parents of premature babies.”