Neonatal Care Leave Policy template
Up to 12 weeks additional paid leave where a baby requires hospital neonatal care — day-one right from April 2025.
- Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023
- Neonatal Care Leave and Pay Regulations 2025 — in force 6 April 2025
What the policy covers
- 1. ENTITLEMENTFrom 6 April 2025, all employees are entitled to Neonatal Care Leave (NCL) where their baby requires hospital neonatal care.
- 3. AMOUNT OF LEAVEEmployees are entitled to one week of NCL for each week the baby spends in neonatal care, up to a maximum of 12 weeks.
- 4. PAYStatutory Neonatal Care Pay (SNCP) is payable at £184.03 per week (2025/26) or 90% of average weekly earnings — whichever is lower.
- 5. NOTIFICATIONEmployees should notify your company as soon as reasonably practicable and confirm the expected duration of leave.
- 6. SUPPORTyour company recognises the extreme emotional difficulty of a neonatal care situation and will support all employees affected through access to the Employee Assistance Programme an
- 7. REVIEWThis policy will be reviewed annually and following any update to SNCP 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 neonatal care leave policy a legal requirement?
It rests on Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023 and Neonatal Care Leave and Pay Regulations 2025 — in force 6 April 2025. 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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