The University of Sheffield
Human Resources

Paternity/Partner Leave

The University is fully committed to helping working parents to balance work and family life and appreciates the importance of providing greater choice for parents in how they arrange parental care during the first year of a child's life or following their adoption.

Staff may take up to 2 weeks ordinary paternity/partner leave (OPL) within the first 8 weeks of the child's birth or placement for adoption.

In addition to this, partners may also be able to take additional paternity/partner leave (APL) within the first year of their child's life or placement for adoption (if due or matched for adoption on or after 3 April 2011).

These provisions are separate to leave in respect of maternity, parental, and adoption.

Scope:

All eligible employees

Key principles:

  1. Staff may take up to 2 working weeks OPL at full pay, to be taken in one block.
  2. Eligible staff may also take a period of APL lasting between 2 weeks’ and 26 weeks. This needs to be taken as another single block, between the time the child is 20 weeks old and the date of their first birthday/12 months after the child’s placement.
  3. Staff may be eligible to receive a period of Additional Statutory Paternity/Partner Leave pay (ASPP) should the mother/co-adopter have not used their full entitlement to statutory maternity/adoption pay or maternity allowance before returning to work.
  4. Eligibility criteria apply including the provision of appropriate notice and signed declarations.

How the University supports this policy:

What to do next:

Full details explaining the provision of both OPL and APL, eligibility requirements and application process are detailed within the Paternity/Partner Leave Procedure and FAQs.

Use the 'Downloads' box on the right hand side to download a copy of the application form.

Document control

Last updated: 03/11
Date of next review: 03/14