Time off for dependants leave

It can be used in the following circumstances:

• To provide assistance when a dependant falls ill or is taken to hospital;
• To make arrangements for the provision of care for an ill or injured dependant;
• Because of the unexpected disruption or termination of care arrangements of a dependant or the breakdown of those arrangements;
• To deal with an incident that involves their child, where it occurs unexpectedly while the child is at school/other educational establishment, e.g. sickness.

All employees, irrespective of length of service, are entitled to request a reasonable amount of emergency time off work in order to deal with an emergency situation involving their dependant.

Time off for the purpose of this policy does not include an entitlement to pay. However, it is accepted that time off needs to be considered in the context of what is reasonable for the circumstances and paid leave under this policy will be subject to the line manager’s discretion.

A dependant could be a spouse, partner, child, parent or someone who depends on you for care.

An emergency situation is normally one that is unexpected and requires immediate attention.

The purpose of the time off is to deal with the immediate unexpected emergencies and to put other necessary care arrangements in place. The amount of time off granted under this policy will depend upon the particular circumstances of each case. It is not intended to provide extended time off for on-going care, recurring matters or for planned time off work.

Procedure for requesting time off for dependants

• Where an employee requires emergency time off under this policy they should seek the approval of their line manager, as soon as is reasonably practicable, explaining the reason for requesting emergency time off and indicating when they expect to be back at work.
• The employee’s line manager will consider each request in line with this policy and may support the request in part or in full. If a request is considered unreasonable or outside the scope of the policy it may be rejected.
• If the request is rejected, the employee is entitled to a written explanation detailing why they have been refused time off.
• If the request is not accepted then the employee may appeal in accordance with the appeal stage of the relevant grievance procedure.
• In some circumstances, a request for time off for dependants maybe dealt with under a different policy, such as annual leave or flexible working if it is considered more appropriate.
• Where there is a recurring or longer term caring need, the line manager and employee should look at flexible working arrangements rather than time off under this policy.

There are provisions for other forms of leave which are dealt with by the University’s provisions for Flexible working, Carer's Leave, Special Leave and Leave of Absence.