Parents Leave
Page updated 29 May 2023
Parent’s Leave forms part of a suite of family-friendly initiatives available in UCD. These initiatives support a more equitable sharing of parental caring duties by enabling eligible employees to take time off from work around the birth or adoption of their child, or the child of their spouse or partner.
Parent’s leave is a statutory entitlement for parents introduced under the Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019 and applies to births/adoptions that take place on or after the 1 November 2019. It aims to let working parents spend more time with their baby during the first two years following the birth or adoption of the child.
From July 2022 Parent’s Leave has been enhanced as follows;
- Total period of Parent’s Leave is 7 weeks
- The period in which the leave and benefit can be taken has increased to anytime up to two years from the birth or adoption of the child (Under the Family Leave and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2021).
Taking Parent’s Leave
Parent’s leave will apply to births / placements that take place on or after the 1 November 2019. An employee who is a relevant parent may avail of seven weeks parent’s leave in total which must be taken in blocks of at least one week, and within the first 2 years following the birth/placement of your child. The leave is to enable the parent to provide or assist in the provision of care to the child specified on the Notification of Intention to take Parent’s Leave application form.
- The leave entitlement must be taken within two years of the birth of the child, or in the case of an adoption, from the date of placement of the child.
- There is no qualifying period for entitlement to parent’s leave in UCD.
Parent’s leave is unpaid leave from UCD, but you may qualify for a payment called Parent’s Benefit during parent’s leave. Details on how to apply for Parent’s Benefit from the Department of Social Protection can be found on Gov.ie
Parent's Leave Process
Step 1: Gather the required information
Before you begin, you'll need to consider or be aware of the following information:
- Applications for Parent’s Leave must be made at least 6 weeks in advance of the date that you wish to avail of the leave.
- Employees who are entitled to the Parent’s Benefit from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (eg. Class A PRSI employees) must claim this benefit as outlined on MyWelfare.ie
- Parent’s Leave is unpaid leave from UCD.
Step 2: Have a conversation
Once you have considered or gathered the information above, you will need to download and complete the UCD Notification of Intention to take Parent’s Leave Application form and have a conversation with your Head of School / Head of Unit or Nominee. They will need to sign off on the UCD Parent’s Leave Application Form, confirming approval to take this leave.
Step 3: Submit your documentation to HR
Following the conversation with your Head of School/Unit or Nominee you can submit your documentation to HR for implementation by email to hrhelpdesk@ucd.ie :
- Parent’s Leave Application form signed by Head of School/Unit or Nominee
- A copy of the child’s birth certificate, or in the case of an adoption, a copy of the certificate of placement is required.
Step 4: Submit your application to the Parent’s Benefit Section
Parent’s leave is unpaid leave from UCD, but you may qualify for a payment called Parent’s Benefit during parent’s leave. For more details see Gov.ie
What happens next?
You will receive a letter from UCD HR confirming receipt of your “Intention to take Parent’s Leave” form.
Form and Supporting Information
UCD Employer Details
- UCD Employer No.: 0079124M
Support for Parents
Information on parent buddy programmes and other supports are available on the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion website.
Employee Assistance Service
The UCD (EAS) is a 24/7 free and confidential support service designed to assist you in dealing more effectively with any personal or work-related problems you might be facing. The service is operated confidentially by Spectrum.Life, the largest provider of employee health and wellness services in Ireland.
The service can be used by a UCD employee, their spouse, civil partner and dependents where the family member can be described as over the age of 18 and residing in the family home.
- Freephone 1800 814 243 (Ire)
- WhatsApp & SMS: Text ‘Hi’ to 087 369 0010
- Email: eap@spectrum.life
Contact the HR Helpdesk
The HR Helpdesk is the primary point of contact for all your employment-related queries by email and telephone. We are here to help you with any queries on employee benefits, terms & conditions and HR policies & procedures. If we can’t help you directly we will refer your query to a HR specialist area.
All visitors to UCD HR, Roebuck offices should be by appointment only and arrangements to be made with specific HR staff members.
353-1-716-4900
UCD HR
Roebuck Offices,
UCD Belfield Campus.