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You will need to think through in advance what you will do
if your child becomes ill. Check whether your partner, friends or
other family members could help, and how much notice they would
need.
The new Time Off For Dependents regulations entitle you to take
unpaid, reasonable time off for emergencies concerning family
members. This may give you the opportunity to arrange alternative
care if your child is likely to be unwell for more than a few
days.
If your child is under five, you can use up to one week of your
unpaid Parental Leave entitlement to care for your child. However,
you must give your employer 21 days notice of this, so it is only
useful if you know in advance you will need time off - for example,
if a child is going into hospital.
For more details of these rights visit the
Maternity Action website (this link opens in a
new window).
Remember that even if your child feels okay, but has a
contagious illness such as diarrhoea, a skin infection, chicken
pox, or conjunctivitis, he will not be able to attend regular
childcare. This minimises the risk of passing the infection on to
other children. |