Circular1799-DepartmentofEducationandSkills.docVIP

Circular 17/99 To the Managerial Authority of each Secondary, Community and Comprehensive School Parental Leave and Force Majeure Leave for Teachers in Second Level Schools This Circular provides a summary of the main provisions of the Parental Leave Act, 1998 as it applies to teachers. It is not a legal interpretation of the Act. Parental Leave Act: 1.1 The Parental Leave Act, 1998 became effective on the 3rd day of December, 1998. Under the terms of the Act a teacher who is the natural or adoptive parent of a child is entitled to parental leave for a period of fourteen working weeks. 1.2 The purpose of the leave is to enable a parent to take care of his/her child. Entitlement to Parental Leave: 2.1 The entitlement to parental leave shall apply only to parents in respect of a child born on or after the 3rd June 1996 or adopted on or after that date. 2.2 A period of parental leave shall end- (a) not later than the day on which the child concerned attains the age of five years, or (b) in the case of a child who is the subject of an adoption order and who had attained the age of three years, but had not attained the age of eight years, on or before the date of the making of that order, not later than the expiration of the period of two years beginning on that date. 2.3 Each parent has a separate entitlement to parental leave from his/her job. However, the leave is not transferable, i.e. the mother cannot take the father’s leave or vice-versa. Eligibility for Parental Leave: 3.1 A teacher must have completed one year’s continuous teaching service with a managerial authority before s/he can take parental leave. However, where a teacher will not have completed one year’s continuous employment with the managerial authority on the latest day for commencing a period of parental leave, but has completed 3 months of such employment, the teacher shall be entitled to parental leave for a period of one week for each month of continuous employment that s/he has complete