Ante-natal care rights entitle certain working parents to reasonable paid time off work in order to attend ante-natal appointments.

The employee must be attending the appointment on the advice of a suitably qualified practitioner (doctor, registered midwife or registered nurse).

No minimum period of employment is required for the request to be valid, but the pregnant worker must produce, if requested, certification of pregnancy and proof of the appointment.

Employees have the right to be paid as normal during these appointments, and where they successfully bring a claim against the employer for non-payment, they can be awarded twice that amount. Employers refusing such requests and/or payments also stand the risk of liability under discrimination claims.

Certain employees have the right to accompany pregnant employees to ante-natal appointments, provided there is a “qualifying relationship” (including husband or civil partner, father, surrogate father, person in an enduring family relationship). This right is available for up to two appointments only.

 

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Updates: For employers: Family rights and flexible working | For employees: Family rights and flexible working |
Tagged with: Discrimination | Maternity leave | Parental rights |

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Other employment law terms

  1. ACAS Early Conciliation
  2. Adoption appointments
  3. Adoption leave
  4. Alternative dispute resolution
  5. Apprenticeship
  6. Basic award
  7. Collective consultation
  8. Compensatory award
  9. Compromise agreement
  10. Constructive dismissal
  11. Contract of employment
  12. Disciplinary hearing
  13. Discrimination
  14. Employee shareholder
  15. Employment tribunal
  16. ETO reason
  17. Flexible working requests
  18. Grievance
  19. Gross misconduct
  20. Harassment
  21. Industrial action
  22. Injury to feelings
  23. Maternity and parental rights
  24. Maternity leave
  25. Maternity pay
  26. Mediation
  27. Parental leave
  28. Paternity leave and pay
  29. Polkey deduction
  30. Pre-termination negotiations
  31. Protected characteristics
  32. Redundancy
  33. Restrictive covenants
  34. Settlement agreement
  35. Shared parental leave
  36. Staff handbook
  37. Statutory annual leave
  38. Strikes
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  40. Summary dismissal
  41. Sunday working
  42. Trade union
  43. TUPE
  44. Unfair dismissal
  45. Unlawful deductions
  46. Victimisation
  47. Whistle-blowing
  48. Without prejudice
  49. Working Time Regulations
  50. Written particulars
  51. Wrongful dismissal
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