The purpose of this policy is to provide leave, in line with current Irish legislation, to female employees on adopting a child, or to a sole male adopter (i.e. a male adopting children on his own).
This policy applies to all full and part-time employees who meet certain criteria outlined in the policy below.
Any full-time or part-time employee, who is an adopting mother, or a sole male adopter, is entitled to 24 weeks paid leave, plus up to 16 weeks additional unpaid leave. Adoptive leave will be available to all adoptive mothers or sole adoptive fathers. Adoptive leave will commence at the time the child is placed with the employee for adoption.
The employee must give his/her Manager notice in writing of his or her intention to take adoptive leave, at least four weeks before the expected placement of the child.
If the employee wishes to take additional leave, he or she must inform his/her Manager in writing at least four weeks beforehand of his or her intention to take additional adoptive leave. The employee must also inform his/her Manager in writing at least four weeks in advance of the date he or she intends to return to work after adoptive or additional adoptive leave.
When an employee has commenced adoptive leave, he or she must provide management with a ‘Certificate of Placement’ as soon as possible, but no later than four weeks after the day of placement.
The employee must give his/her Manager a copy of the ‘Declaration of Suitability’ before the commencement of adoptive leave or additional adoptive leave. In the case of foreign adoptions, the adopting parent may avail of some or all of the additional adoptive leave in advance of the adoption to facilitate them to arrange the adoption and attend classes and meetings as necessary.
Employees are entitled to paid time off to attend any pre-adoption classes and meetings which they are obliged to attend within the State. The employee must provide two weeks written notice of the first request and submit appropriate evidence of the requirement to attend the meeting/class.
An employee wishing to return to work from adoptive leave must provide written notification of his/her intention no later than four weeks before the intended date of return. Employees will be entitled to return to work to the same position and under the same terms and conditions of employment, where feasible. Where this is not feasible, then the organisation is committed to providing suitable alternative employment.
Subject to a management agreement, an employee has the option of postponing any or all of the period of adoptive and additional adoptive leave in the event of the hospitalisation of the child. The maximum period of postponement is six months. During the postponement, the staff member will be expected to attend work as normal.
Where an employee has been permitted to postpone their leave and then falls ill, he/she will automatically be deemed to have resumed their leave. Should the employee wish to avail of sick leave in these circumstances, he/she may apply to do so. However, he/she then forfeits his/her right to any outstanding postponed leave.
In the event of illness, and subject to the agreement of management, an employee may be permitted to terminate their additional adoptive leave and transfer to sick leave. If an employee does transfer, he/she will forfeit her right to any additional adoptive leave not taken at the date of the commencement of the sick leave. Request for termination and acceptance of termination must be in writing to the Manager.