New parent policies

New Parent Policies Overview

Summary

• These policies also apply in the case of adoption.
• If you are the main parent, you are entitled to 52 weeks ‘maternity’ leave, regardless of how long you have worked at Tripod.
• Tripod offers enhanced parental pay to top up the Government’s statutory pay. 
• If you are entitled to full Statutory Maternity Pay, you can choose to  receive either: full pay for 12 weeks, followed by £172.48/week for 27 weeks or full pay for 6 weeks followed by 50% pay for 33 weeks.
• If you are entitled to Statutory Maternity Allowance, and not Pay, you will receive: full pay for 6 weeks, 50% pay for 6 weeks, £172.48/week for 27 weeks.
• If you are not entitled to any Statutory Maternity support, you will receive: full pay for 6 weeks.
• If you are a second parent, whether or not you are eligible for Statutory Paternity Pay, you will receive full pay for 6 weeks.
• Tripod offers Shared Parental Leave and Pay.

Note from Tripod: You may want to consider removing all gendered language.

Support during pregnancy and parenting

Tripod recognises that the world of work is structurally discriminatory against people who have children or caring responsibilities. This plays out as gendered discrimination in hiring and pay differentials, lack of opportunities for career development, hiring of workers on precarious contracts without any statutory benefits, and lack of pay adjustments for additional care or childcare responsibilities. 

Beyond this, many working cultures remain inaccessible to parents and carers due to expectations of long working hours and wider stress levels that are not adequately addressed for any workers, but which are more impactful on those who also have fundamental caring responsibilities for others. Overwork culture continues to be a barrier to accessible employment on several fronts.

Tripod is a small employer and cannot change the wider system, but we try to be deliberate in challenging the ways in which discrimination against parents and carers is still the norm in most workplaces. Tripod wants to support all collective members who choose to have children, and have a range of policies relating to this. 

These are:

• Maternity Leave and Pay 
• Paternity/ Second Parent Leave & Pay
• Shared Parental Leave and Pay
• Adoption Leave and Pay

These policies set out and enhance statutory entitlements, and apply to all staff, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or different family situations, and apply to same-sex, same-gender or non-heterosexual couples, and to heterosexual couples. 

Terminology

The language used in this policy is largely reflective of the UK legislation covering birth and parenting, and as such is reflective of heteronormative views and assumptions about family.  While we have attempted to use inclusive language where possible, we have continued to use gendered terms like ‘maternity’ in order to clearly reflect the legislation. This will be an ongoing conversation and Tripod are always willing to discuss ways to make these policies and the language within them more inclusive to everyone’s needs and experiences. 

Maternity leave/pay: This refers to the leave and pay entitlements of a person experiencing pregnancy and/or giving birth, or the main care giver in an case of adoption.

Paternity leave/pay: This refers to the leave and pay entitlements of the second parent – this could be a biological father, the partner of the pregnant person (you don’t need to be married or in a civil partnership), or someone with ongoing parental responsibility (for example an ex-partner or a parent through surrogacy or adoption).

Shared Parental Leave: This is the system which allows people to share a portion of maternity leave and pay with the second parent to care for children from birth until their first birthday. 

Principles of pay

We recognise that the government’s provision for parental pay is not sufficient. It is particularly lacking in provision for second parent (or paternity) pay, or when someone has not been employed before they are pregnant. Whilst Tripod would like to offer full pay to both parents, we are not in a financial position to do so.

As such we have come to an agreement that we will offer the same financial support from the organisational side of approx £2500 per person additional to Statutory pay. This will have different effects on how much people receive due to the Statutory offer from the government.

Staff members can choose to opt out from receiving enhanced parental pay from Tripod if they feel the statutory pay adequately covers their needs. This may be the case if the staff member has certain class privileges, such as access to inheritance, property and/or a high-paid partner. This opt-out clause is part of Tripod’s politics around redistribution of wealth.

If a staff member would not be sufficiently supported by the statutory  and enhanced pay offers, and would experience financial stress, they can request more financial support from the collective. This will be considered on a case by case basis depending on the financial needs of the organisation and the individual. 

Maternity Leave and Pay

(This also applies to the main carer in the case of adoption)

The Policy

Employees who give birth have a statutory entitlement to ‘Maternity’ Leave (up to 52 weeks) and ‘Maternity’ Pay (up to 39 weeks) both before and after the birth of a child. Tripod has an enhanced ‘Maternity’ offer, as listed below.

All employees are entitled to ‘Maternity’ Leave, but there are some eligibility requirements to receive ‘Maternity’ Pay, as set out below.

 Employees may also be entitled to take Shared Parental Leave and Shared Parental Pay either in addition to or instead of ‘Maternity’ Leave and ‘Maternity’ Pay. Please see the Shared Parental Leave policy for more information.

Employees have the right not to be subjected to a detriment on the grounds of pregnancy, childbirth or maternity, irrespective of hours of work or length of service.

In addition to these statutory entitlements, Tripod offers workers enhanced pay and leave opportunities, as set out in detail below.

The Policy in Operation

Responsibilities and expectations

In order for this policy to operate, there are a number of different things which must be communicated between the staff member and Tripod. These are set out in more detail below, but as a quick reference guide:

When you find out you are having a baby

You should: Let Tripod know as soon as you are able/comfortable

Tripod will: Undertake a workplace assessment and discuss with you any adjustments that might need to be made

15 weeks (at least) before expected due date

You should: Let Tripod know in writing when you plan to start your leave, as soon as you can and at least 15 weeks before the expected due date. 

Tripod will: Make sure you are aware of your rights, have access to this policy, and discuss any adjustments for your remaining work

After the 20 week scan (about 14 weeks before due date)

You should: Give evidence of the due date – normally an MATB1 certificate from a midwife

Tripod will: Write to you within 28 days of notification, advising the date that you are expected to return to work if you take your full entitlement of 52 weeks. 

When the baby arrives (or if you are unable to work due pregnancy-related issues within the month before your due date)

You should: Go on ‘maternity’ leave

Tripod will: Confirm any changes to your entitlement, for example if you start your leave earlier than expected

While you are on ‘maternity’ leave

You should:  Attend work for up to 10 optional paid, mutually agreed “keeping in touch days”, give [at least] 8 weeks notice if you want to return to work early, think about if you want to request a change to your working hours or duties when you return

Tripod will: Organise “keeping in touch” (KIT) meetings or days with you where supportive (either with your peer supervisor or whole collective meetings), consider any requests made about working hours and duties when you return. Please share requests for changes with the collective as soon as you are able. 

This policy also covers unexpected situations which may arise including early birth, baby loss, or changes in circumstances. If a situation you are experiencing or are concerned about is not covered by this policy, you should speak to the collective as soon as possible. 

Entitlement to time off for ante-natal care

In addition to usual sick leave, staff are entitled to take reasonable paid time off during their normal working hours to receive antenatal care, which may include relaxation classes and parent-craft classes. This also includes IVF appointments. We encourage staff to take full advantage of this, and to seek the antenatal care they need to feel supported in their pregnancy. This time off should be recorded in your time-sheet as pregnancy related once the staff collective have been informed about the pregnancy (which should happen as soon as the staff member is able to do so)

Workplace Assessment

Tripod  is responsible for the health and safety of all staff and we aim for a caring and compassionate working environment that responds to staff needs. We will assess the workplace risks to people who are pregnant, have recently given birth, or are breastfeeding. We’ll take steps to avoid these risks, which may include (for instance) ensuring that expectant staff do not need to travel for work in the last few weeks of their pregnancy.  On return to work after childbirth, we will work to accommodate any new needs associated with looking after an infant, which may include (for instance), less travel, flexible hours, breastfeeding in the office. 

‘Maternity’ Leave

(This also applies to the main carer in adoption)

All employees, regardless how long they have worked for Tripod,  are entitled to take up to 26 weeks’ Ordinary Maternity Leave (OML) and up to 26 weeks of Additional Maternity Leave (AML) making a total of 52 weeks. 

Employees seeking to take ‘Maternity’ Leave must:

• Produce medical evidence of the Expected Week of Childbirth (EWC). This will normally be in the form of a Maternity Certificate (an MATB1), available from the doctor or midwife and will be issued approximately 14 weeks before the expected week of birth

• Advise Tripod, in writing, when they wish their leave to commence. The employee can choose to begin their leave any time from 11 weeks before the EWC up to the birth itself.
• This notice should be given no later than the end of the 15^th week before EWC.

Where the employee is absent from work due to illness caused by the pregnancy at any time during the four weeks before the start of their EWC, leave will start automatically on the first day of absence.

On being notified of a staff member’s intention to take ‘Maternity’ Leave, Tripod will write to them within 28 days of notification, advising the date that they are expected to return to work should they take their full entitlement of 52 weeks.

The staff member may change their mind about when they wish to start their leave, provided that they tell Tripod at least 28 days in advance, unless this is not reasonably practicable.

Earlier than expected childbirth

Leave will begin the day after the birth of the child, if the birth is before:

• The notified Leave start date
• The employee has given notification of any start date

This applies even if the birth takes place before the start of the 11^th week before the EWC

Return to work

 A staff member who returns to work at the end of their full ‘Maternity’ Leave period need not notify Tripod in advance of their return. However, if they wish to return to work early, they are requested if possible to give 8 weeks notice in order that their return to work can be planned and accommodated.  Staff may not return to work earlier than two weeks after the birth of a child. A staff member has the right to return to the same job they had prior to commencement of Leave.

Staff members are welcome to request changes of working patterns/hours, including a phased return, and Tripod has a legal duty to attempt to accommodate such a request.  Ideally this request will be made before the end of the leave period, for example using a Keeping In Touch day. Tripod will do an assessment of the needs of returning staff member and seek to accommodate reasonable requests, alongside thinking of the needs of the collective. 

Terms and Conditions during Maternity Leave

During Maternity Leave, staff remain employed under their normal terms and conditions of employment and retain all contractual benefits (apart from wages) during the period. In particular, staff will continue to accrue annual leave. Staff are allowed to use any accrued annual leave to extend their maternity leave, including holiday accrued during their maternity leave. The leave can be taken before or after the maternity leave, and is allowed to roll over to the next year. The staff member should liaise with the staff collective with regard to this. 

A longer period of leave (above the 52 weeks’ statutory entitlement) may be approved by the staff collective though this will be unpaid.

Keeping in Touch days

Tripod and the staff member are entitled to have a reasonable amount of contact with each other to discuss aspects such as plans to return to work, important developments at work or job vacancies. The staff member can attend work for up to 10 paid, mutually agreed “keeping in touch days” during their Leave, without losing SMP entitlement for those weeks. This could be full-days or shorter blocks of time, and may allow the staff member to attend training or other events that take place during the Leave period or allow them to keep their skills up to date.

Miscarriage/Stillbirth

Staff members still qualify for SMP in the case of stillbirth (loss of a baby after the 24th week of pregnancy or during birth), or neonatal death (loss of a baby within the first 28 days after birth). 

If you experience pregnancy loss in the first 23 weeks of pregnancy either through miscarriage or abortion, you are entitled to up to one month paid leave in addition to statutory sick leave, and can request more in conversation with the collective. 

Outside of this, the provisions set out in Sick Leave apply.

Maternity Pay

(This also applies to the main carer in adoption)

In order to qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP), an employee must:

• Be working for Tripod 41 weeks (approx 9.5 months)  before your expected week of your due date. 
• Be pregnant and have reached the 11^th week prior to the EWC
• Earn over £123/week (£533/month, or less than 1 day a week at Tripod current salary)
• Have given 28 days’ notice to Tripod that they intend to be absent from work due to pregnancy

Eligible staff are entitled  to 39 weeks’ Statutory Maternity Pay, the 2023-2024 rates are as follows:

• The first 6 weeks: 90% of average weekly earnings (AWE) before tax
• The remaining 33 weeks: 172.48 or 90% of their AWE (whichever is lower)
• Remaining 13 weeks of maternity leave are unpaid

Tripod offers workers enhanced ‘maternity’ pay, above the Statutory Maternity Pay.

Situation 1: a staff is eligible for Statutory Maternity Pay. Tripod will top up your Statutory Maternity Pay to the following: 100% pay for 6 weeks and then you may choose between the following for the remaining 33 weeks:50% pay for the next 33 weeks. a further 6 weeks at 100% pay and then statutory £172.48 for the next 27 weeks.The total amount received by situation a) will be £9450 over the 39 weeksThe total amount received by situation b) will be £9696.96 over the 39 weeks(you may choose which payment plan suits your finances better)

Situation 2:  A staff is not eligible for Statutory Maternity Pay, but they are eligible for Statutory Maternity Allowance.e.g. they join Tripod after 2 weeks before they are pregnant, and then they earn £390/week in any 13 weeks of the 26 weeks before the due date.They will receive the following Statutory Maternity Allowance: 172.48 or 90% of their AWE (whichever is lower) for 39 weeks13 weeks unpaidTripod will top up your Statutory Maternity Allowance to the following:100% pay for 6 weeks50% pay for 6 weeksStatutory £172.48/week for 27  weeks

Situation 3: a staff member is not eligible for Statutory Maternity Pay or Statutory Maternity Allowance. e.g. they join Tripod after 2 weeks before they are pregnant, and then they do not earn £390/week in any 13 weeks of the 26 weeks before the due date. They may be entitled to Best Start & Best Foods grant from the Government if on certain benefits. Tripod will offer you 100% pay for 6 weeks

Paternity/Second Parent Leave and Pay

The Policy

Employees who are expecting to become a parent of a new baby – either through being a biological father, the partner of a pregnant person (you don’t need to be married or in a civil partnership), or someone with ongoing parental responsibility –  have a statutory entitlement to Paternity  Leave and Pay. At Tripod we refer to this as ‘second parent’ leave and pay,

In addition to these statutory entitlements, Tripod offers workers enhanced pay and leave opportunities, meaning workers can expect four weeks leave at full pay, with an optional of an additional two weeks of unpaid leave. This is set out in detail below. 

In order to be eligible, employees must:

• be classed as an employee (leave only)
• be employed by you up to the date the child is born (or placed with the adopter) (pay only)
• be on your payroll and earn at least £123 a week (gross) in an 8 week ‘relevant period’ (pay only)
• have been continuously employed by you for at least 26 weeks up to any day in the ‘qualifying week’ (15 weeks before expected week of due date)

The Policy in Operation

Notice period

We welcome you to let us know as soon as you are comfortable to do so. However the legal minimum notice is 15 weeks before the baby is expected, at this time please inform us

• the baby’s due date
• when you would like to start your leave (this can be changed with 28 days notice)
• how much leave you would like

While you are on leave

You should:  Attend mutually agreed “keeping in touch days”, of maximum 1 day per month.

Tripod will: Organise “keeping in touch” (KIT) meetings or days with you where supportive (either with your peer supervisor or whole collective meetings), consider any requests made about working hours and duties when you return. Please share requests for changes with the collective as soon as you are able. 

Entitlement to time off for ante-natal care

Staff are entitled to take reasonable paid time off during their normal working hours to attend antenatal care appointments, which may include attending medical appointments with their partner, and parenting classes. We encourage staff to take full advantage of this.

‘Paternity’ Leave

Statutory Paternity Leave:

Employees can choose to take either 1 week or 2 consecutive weeks’ leave. The amount of time is the same even if they have more than one child (for example twins).

Statutory Leave cannot start before the birth. The start date must be one of the following:

• The start of the labour process 
• the actual date of birth
• an agreed number of days after the birth
• an agreed number of days after the expected week of childbirth

Statutory Leave must finish within 56 days of the birth (or due date if the baby is early). 

In addition, Tripod offers eligible employees an additional four weeks of paid leave and the option of taking up to two weeks of unpaid leave, though this is negotiable. This leave can be taken at the discretion of the parent, in discussion with the Tripod team.

Staff are invited to top up the paternity leave with their usual annual leave allowance, however we suggest not using more than 50% of the year’s allowance in order to ensure a more even spread of leave throughout the year.

‘Paternity’ Pay

Statutory Paternity Pay for eligible employees is either £172.48 a week or 90% of their average weekly earnings (whichever is lower) for two weeks. Tax and National Insurance need to be deducted.

Tripod will top this up to 100% of pay for the two weeks of statutory paternity leave plus pay and additional 4 weeks of 100% pay. 

If you are not eligible for Statutory Paternity Pay, Tripod will offer you 6 weeks full pay.

Shared Parental Leave & Pay

Summary

Either parent may be eligible for Shared Parental Leave and Pay. 

Shared Parental Leave and Pay enables parents to share their time off and pay with their partner or co-parent. 

e.g. the birth parent or main carer is entitled to 52 weeks leave and the second parent is entitled to 2 weeks leave, the main carer/parent could end their leave at 26 weeks, and then give 26 weeks leave to the second carer/parent, either to be taken at the same time or separately or a combination.

The Policy

An eligible staff member who has given birth or whose partner has given birth, or an eligible staff member who has adopted a child or whose partner has adopted a child may be entitled to Shared Parental Leave and Pay.

Shared Parental Leave and Pay was introduced in 2015, and seeks to encourage parents and people who have adopted children to share parental responsibilities. The Shared Parental Leave and Pay scheme is entirely optional from the side of the parents.

The default position is that the child’s birthing parent will take 52 weeks ‘Maternity’ Leave. Accordingly, if a staff member wishes to utilise the scheme, they must opt-in to it and fulfil all of the notification requirements set out in this policy.

The total amount of Shared Parental Leave available is 52 weeks minus the weeks spent by the  child’s birthing parent on Maternity Leave or the child’s adopter on Adoption Leave. The total amount of Shared Parental Pay available is 39 weeks minus the weeks claimed by the child’s birthing parent  of Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance period, or the child’s adopter on Adoption Pay.

In the case of the birthing parent, Shared Parental Leave and Pay cannot start until after the compulsory maternity leave period, which lasts until two weeks after birth. Shared Parental Leave and Pay entitlement is in addition to Paternity Leave entitlement.  However, once an employee starts Shared Parental Leave, the staff member loses any untaken Paternity Leave entitlement.

The Policy in Operation

Entitlement to Shared Parental Leave

For the purposes of this policy:

• Expected Week of Childbirth or EWC is the week, beginning on a Sunday, in which the doctor or midwife expects the child to be born; and
• Partner means spouse, civil partner or someone living with another person in an enduring family relationship, but not a sibling, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece or nephew.
• Qualifying Week is the fifteenth week before the EWC.

A staff member is entitled to Shared Parental Leave in relation to the birth of a child if:

•  they are the child’s birthing parent, and share main responsibility for the care of the child with the child’s other parent;
•  they are the child’s parent and share main responsibility for the care of the child with the child’s birthing parent

The following conditions must also be fulfilled:

•  the staff member must have at least 26 weeks’ continuous employment with Tripod by the end of the Qualifying Week and still be employed in the week before the leave is to be taken;
•  the other parent must have worked (in an employed or self-employed capacity) in at least 26 out of the 66 weeks before the Expected Week of Childbirth (EWC) and had minimum average earnings in 13 of those weeks; and
• the staff member and the other parent must give the necessary statutory notices and declarations summarised below, including notice to end any Maternity Leave, statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance periods, Adoption Leave, and Adoption Pay.

Opting in to Shared Parental Leave scheme

In order to opt-in to the Shared Parental Leave scheme, the staff member must provide the organisation with an opt-in notice which contains the information specified below. If the staff member opts-in to the scheme, then the balance of the birthing parent’s maternity leave is converted into Shared Parental Leave.

Please make a copy of this form & fill it in to opt-in to the scheme Opt-in notice for Shared Parental Leave or Pay (TEMPLATE)

This must be done a minimum of 8 weeks before the planned end of maternity leave and also serves as notice of curtailment of maternity leave.

Changing or cancelling Shared Parental Leave

A staff member can cancel a period of Shared Parental Leave by notifying Tripod in writing at least 8 weeks before the start date specified in the period of leave notice.

A staff member can change the dates for a period of leave by giving Tripod at least 8 weeks’ notice before both the original start date and the new start date.

Statutory Shared Parental Pay

Shared Parental Pay of up to 39 weeks (less any weeks of Maternity Pay or Adoption Pay claimed by the employee or the other parent – noting a minimum of 2 must be taken as Maternity Pay) may be available provided a staff member has at least 26 weeks’ continuous service with Tripod at the end of the Qualifying Week and average earnings are not less than the lower earnings limit set by the Government each year.

Tripod’s staff collective will notify Payroll of any Shared Parental Pay entitlement.

The flat weekly rate set by the Government for 2023-2024 is as follows:

• £174.28 or 90% of the employee’s average weekly earnings (whichever is lower)

A longer period of leave may be approved by the staff collective though this will be unpaid.

Keeping in touch

The law provides that each parent can work (including attending training) for up to 20 days during Shared Parental Leave without bringing Shared Parental Leave or Shared Parental Pay to an end (known as keeping in touch or “KIT” days). This is in addition to the 10 KIT days that can be taken during Maternity Leave. Employees are under no obligation to take KIT days. The arrangements for keeping in touch days (including payment or time off in lieu) are a matter for discussion between the staff member and the staff collective.

Terms and conditions during Shared Parental Leave

All terms and conditions of employment remain in force during Shared Parental Leave, except for terms relating to pay.

Annual Leave entitlement will continue to accrue during periods of Shared Parental Leave.  Please discuss holiday plans with a manager in good time before starting leave.

Returning to work

If an employee wants to end a period of Shared Parental Leave early, they must give at least 8 weeks’ notice of the new return date in writing.

If a staff member wishes to extend Shared Parental Leave, they must submit a new period of leave notice at least 8 weeks before they are due to return to work, assuming they still have Leave entitlement remaining and have not already submitted 3 period of leave notices.

If the total amount of leave the staff member has taken (including Shared Parental Leave and any other relevant statutory leave in respect of the same child) is 26 weeks or less, the staff member is entitled to return to the same job they had prior to commencing the leave.

However, if the total leave was 26 weeks or less and the period of Shared Parental Leave was the last of two or more consecutive periods of relevant statutory leave which included a period of Parental Leave of more than 4 weeks, a period of additional Maternity Leave, or a period of additional Adoption Leave, the total leave will be treated as a period of over 26 weeks leave.

Where over 26 weeks leave is taken the employee has the right to return to the same job unless it is not reasonably practicable for them to return to that job. Instead they will be entitled to return to another job which is both suitable for them and appropriate for them to do in the circumstances.

Adoption Leave & Pay

The Policy

A staff member who is adopting a child may be entitled to the leave and pay set out in our Maternity Leave & Pay policy. A longer period of leave may be approved by the staff collective though this will be unpaid.

If a staff member is adopting a child as a couple only 1 person in the couple is entitled to Adoption Leave and Adoption Pay, the other partner may be entitled to Paternity Leave and Paternity Pay. 

Staff members may also be entitled to take Shared Parental Leave & Pay either in addition to or instead of Adoption Leave and Adoption Pay. 

The Policy in Operation

Conditions

The same terms and conditions and the same requirements for Returning to Work and Keeping in Touch days apply as can be found in our Maternity Leave & Pay policy. 

Eligibility for Adoption Leave

A staff member is entitled to Adoption Leave if they fulfil the following criteria:

• They are the child’s adopter. An adopter means a person who has been newly matched with the child for adoption or, in the case where two people have been matched jointly, whichever of them has elected to be the child’s adopter for the purposes of the Regulations.  Adoption Leave and Pay is not available in circumstances where a child is not newly matched for adoption, for example when a step-parent is adopting a partner’s children
• They have been continuously employed for a period of not less than 26 weeks ending with the week in which they were notified of having been matched with the child
• They have notified the agency that they agree that the child should be placed with them on the date of placement
• They have complied with the relevant notice requirements.  Notice of the staff member’s’ intention to take Adoption Leave should be given, in writing, to Tripod:
  • no more than seven days after the date on which the employee is notified of having been matched with the child for the purposes of adoption or
  • as soon as is reasonably practicable.

The notice should specify all of the following:

• The date on which the child is expected to be placed with the staff member for adoption
• The staff member’s chosen Adoption Leave start date. This can be either:
  • The date on which the child is placed with them for adoption; or
  • A pre-determined date no earlier than 14 days before the expected date of placement.

If the staff member chooses to begin their period of leave on the date on which the child is placed with them and they are at work on that date, the period of leave will begin on the following day.

Evidential Requirements for Adoption Leave

The staff member must provide Tripod with the following information as evidence (in the form of one or more documents issued by the adoption agency that matched the employee with the child):

• The name and address of the agency
• The name and date of birth of the child
• The date on which the staff member was notified that they had been matched with the child
• The date on which the agency expects to place the child with the staff member.

Variation of Start Date

A staff member who has given notice of their intention to take Adoption Leave may vary the chosen start date provided that they give Tripod 28 days’ notice of the variation, or, if this is not reasonably practicable, as soon as is reasonably practicable.

Employer’s Notification Obligations

If a staff member gives Tripod notice of their chosen start date (or a variation notice), Tripod will notify the staff member, within 28 days of their receipt of the notice, of the date on which they will be expected to return to work.

Overseas Adoption

Paid leave is available whether a child is adopted from within the UK or from overseas, but some details may differ for parents adopting from outside the UK.  Please speak with the staff collective for further information.