Save the Children increases paternity leave to three months

The charity has increased paternity leave at full pay from two weeks to three months for its employees.

The new policy allows all partners, regardless of gender, to take 12 weeks of paid leave in the year following their child’s birth or adoption.

According to a survey by My Family Care of more than 400 UK companies and organisations, the pledge will make Save the Children’s offer one of the most generous paternity policies in the charity sector.

The policy has been backdated to 1 October 2019 and is available to all employees who met the qualifying criteria on that date. It is independent of statutory parental leave polices, including shared parental leave and unpaid parental leave.

The Government currently provides statutory paternity pay for a maximum of two weeks, at a flat rate of £148.68 per week or 90 per cent of average weekly earnings, whichever is less.

Kevin Watkins, chief executive of Save the Children, said, ‘Increasing the leave available for parents is good for their health, child development and gender equality. We fight for that in our work around the world. This policy puts our commitment to children and their families at the heart of our culture. It’s about practicing what we preach.’

Among Save the Children’s employees hoping to use the policy is Claudio Deola, a water and sanitation expert recently deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo to help tackle the ebola crisis.

‘I just had a baby girl, and I get sent to war zones for work,’ he said. ‘But as expats living in London, my wife and I don’t have family or any support networks around to help. So, it’s a really, really worrying time. This policy could change everything. I’ll be able to spend time with my daughter, be there to support her mum, and live by the same values I fight for overseas.’