Preloaded UK policy

Adoption Leave Policy template

Ordinary and additional adoption leave, SAP rates, keeping-in-touch days and redundancy protection.

Legal basis
  • ERA 1996
  • Paternity and Adoption Leave Regulations 2002
  • Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family Leave) Act 2023
Last reviewed April 2025. Guidance, not legal advice.

What the policy covers

  1. 1. ENTITLEMENT
    Eligible employees who are adopting a child are entitled to up to 52 weeks' adoption leave, comprising:
  2. 3. NOTIFICATION
    The employee must notify your company within 7 days of being notified of the match (or as soon as reasonably practicable) of:
  3. 4. STATUTORY ADOPTION PAY (SAP)
    SAP is payable for up to 39 weeks to employees who have at least 26 weeks' continuous service at the date of matching and average weekly earnings at or above the lower earnings lim
  4. 5. DURING ADOPTION LEAVE
    The employee's contract continues throughout adoption leave.
  5. 6. RETURN TO WORK
    After OAL, the employee is entitled to return to the same job.
  6. 7. REDUNDANCY PROTECTION
    Employees on adoption leave have enhanced redundancy protection.
  7. 8. REVIEW
    This policy will be reviewed annually and following any change in SAP rates.

Who needs it

Any UK employer running rotas, leave and the day-to-day of employing people. These set out the rules once so nobody argues about them twice.

Questions people ask

Is a adoption leave policy a legal requirement?

It rests on ERA 1996 and Paternity and Adoption Leave Regulations 2002 and Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family Leave) Act 2023. Some policies must be written down once a business reaches a certain size or does certain work; others are simply how a tribunal, an inspector or a client's auditor expects to see that you have thought about it. A clear, dated, signed policy is the evidence either way. Guidance, not legal advice.

Can I change it to suit how we work?

Yes. Inside Work-Lynx it is a starting point: put your company name in, adjust the arrangements to what you actually do, set the review date and publish it. Staff read and acknowledge it on their phones, and you can see who has not.

Is it up to date?

Last reviewed April 2025. The pack is updated when the law moves, and every policy carries a review date so it does not quietly go stale.

How do I get it?

It is preloaded in Work-Lynx with the other 48 UK policies. Work-Lynx is £2.50 a month plus £1 per employee, 14 days free, no card, and what you see on the pricing page is the bill.

Who is it for?

Any UK employer running rotas, leave and the day-to-day of employing people. These set out the rules once so nobody argues about them twice.

All 49 UK policies, £2.50 a month

This policy and 48 others are already in Work-Lynx, alongside GPS clock-in, rotas, timesheets, leave and Employ AI for UK employment law. £2.50 base plus £1 per employee a month. 14 days free, no card, no sales call.

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