Haringey Council has extended its parental leave policy to include special guardians and kinship carers, granting them the same leave and pay provisions as adoptive parents. The council expects this type of arrangement to happen infrequently, estimating that requests will be less frequent than adoption leave requests, which are already low.
The decision, made at the General Purposes Committee meeting on 1 July 2025, aims to provide crucial support to employees taking on the responsibility of caring for children in these circumstances. Previously, special guardians and kinship carers were not entitled to the same leave or pay benefits as those adopting a child because it was thought that as special guardians or kinship carers are already known to the child, so the settling process and getting to know the child is less necessary.
Under the revised policy outlined in the HR Policy - GPC Report July 2025 Final, employees who take on Special Guardianship or Kinship care can take leave at the same allowance as employees taking adoption leave; 26 weeks of ordinary leave and 26 weeks of additional leave. As there is no statutory right, the pay for this will be in line with the enhanced payment offered for adoption leave. Specifically, employees with over one year of continuous service will be entitled to 14 weeks of full pay or eight weeks of full pay and 12 weeks of half pay. Those with between 26 weeks and one year of service will receive six weeks at 9/10ths pay, with any leave beyond that being unpaid. Managers can also discuss unpaid leave options for employees with less than 26 weeks of service.
The change was proposed after a question was submitted by Mr Sean Fox, UNISON Joint Branch Secretary, at the previous General Purposes Committee meeting on 3 April 2025, highlighting the inequality in the council's policy regarding parental leave. The report states that Unison asked the council to consider extending leave and pay arrangements for special guardians or kinship carers, given the potential saving to the organisation in the context of children's services
. The committee agreed to consider the proposal, recognising the potential savings to children's services and the need for children to settle into their new care arrangements.
During the meeting on 3 April 2025, the committee requested benchmarking with other authorities on shared parental leave. It was noted that a few authorities across London had equalised shared parental leave, and officers would provide information on the implications of this to the committee.
The move aligns with the council's commitment to supporting its employees and recognising the significant responsibility undertaken by special guardians and kinship carers. The updated policy reflects the council's dedication to providing a fair and inclusive workplace for all its staff.