New rights for working families with babies in neonatal care in Dorset
Families across Dorset say they’re “delighted” with new plans to give parents more time off work if their newborn is in neonatal care
Campaigners in Dorset have welcomed plans to make neonatal care easier for parents going through “difficult times”.
Under the new Employment Rights Bill, parents will be allowed to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave off work.
Rachel Filmer from the Dorset Maternity & Neonatal Voices group, told us: “No parent ever expects their baby to go into neonatal care and so many parents still have to go to work every day while their baby is in hospital.
“It’s an incredibly difficult time and parents often have to think about how much holiday they have left as well as the financial implications of taking time off.”
The mother of two from Bournemouth went through this experience with her husband after her daughter went into neonatal care.
She said: “Partners can often feel quite excluded from pregnancy and birth and feel that they don't have a role but their support is so important and it’s heartbreaking to see a parent be concerned for their baby’s health but barely spend any time with them.”
Ministers said they wanted to tackle challenges parents face when their baby is in neonatal care such as having to return to work.
They believe the bill will give employers more certainty and parents the ‘peace of mind’ to focus on the thing that matter most, their newborn baby.
Caroline Lee‑Davey, the CEO of Bliss, told us: “Parents that have a baby in hospital only want to be thinking about that and not worrying about going back to work.
“We've heard so many stories of dads being at work, taking terrifying phone calls from their partner about something that has gone wrong with their baby.
“We also know of parents who've been routinely traveling 50, 100 and sometimes even 200 miles a day just to be with their baby.
The Government added that neonatal care leave will be a day one right, meaning it will be available to an employee from their first day in a new job.
“The stress and trauma experienced by families during a neonatal stay cannot be underestimated. In an instant, their world is turned upside down. No parent or carer should be sitting beside an incubator worrying about pay or work.
“This bill is going to make so much difference and hopefully lead to real improvements in people's experiences.”